The Gauteng Department of Education says they are finalising processes of ensuring the safe reopening of primary schools to full capacity for the next term.
The department says measures are being put in place to also ensure the availability of procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) in schools.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona says they are also working closely with the Department of Health for guidance.
“We are expect driven as education and the researchers said to us you are managing the primary schools level and we see that they are not coping. They need supervision. They need constant reminder of what is it that they are doing because most is the foundation face.”
“It is young children that needs to be assisted. The online can only work for higher learning of our schools but at that level it has been proven that we are not [making] inroads and hence they say that we need to bring them back,” adds Mabona.
Discussion on SA’s latest COVID-19 statistics with Professor Shabir Mahdi:
Two thousands schools affected by COVID-19 in Gauteng
Meanwhile, the department says over two thousands schools have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic over a period of time.
Over 1000 learners are said to have tested positive at public schools in the province in the past weeks.
The province is already experiencing a third wave with an average rate of around 3 500 new infections recorded per day.
Mabona says, “You will have one or two cases in a school. That is why we are saying over two thousand schools are affected. But we are managing with the Department of Health. Where we are forced to close a school they will recommend after conducting an assessment to say looking at the number of cases and those that are affected.”
“Meaning they are suppose to be isolating. So the numbers probably will dictate that we close a school. We have been closing schools between one or three days.”
Growing calls for more vaccination sites in Gauteng
Sadtu in Free State welcomes plans to vaccinate teachers
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in the Free State has welcomed the move to have teachers vaccinated.
Education MEC Tate Makgoe has invited educators and support staff who would like to be vaccinated to come forward.
This, as a surge in school infections has led to the temporary closure of many schools in the province.
Sadtu says the option to vaccinate teachers comes at the right time, ahead of the resumption of daily attendance in primary school learners from next month.
The union’s provincial secretary Bricks Moloi says the union will be at the forefront of advocating for teachers to avail themselves.
