Teachers’ union Sadtu says it is deeply concerned about the school dropout rate amid the continuing COVID 19 pandemic.
This comes amid reports recently that as many as 750 000 learners may have dropped out of school.
The union says the African National Congress (ANC) led government needs to do more to support public schools where learners are bearing the brunt of the dropout rate.
In the video below, impact of COVID-19 on schools under spotlight:
On Saturday last week Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said that her department was ready to welcome learners back at schools.
Sadtu’s General Secretary Mgwena Maluleke said school management teams went back to work last Thursday.
“Education is an enabler and there is no economic recovery unless education is prioritised and our learners have already lost so much time and that we should be able to support our teachers to be safe at their schools an the other working people.
We feel strongly as Sadtu that the question of whether ready or not ready is really not fair because other people are working,” says Maluleke.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) residents said they believe that the reopening of schools will help children cope mentally especially after the recent unrest in the province and in Gauteng.
“May they open and may there be a peaceful transaction. I have two children at home they are going crazy. We need life to go back to normal. Things need to happen and we need to be preventative and take precautions.
We can’t kill our economy and starve millions as we have seen in the unrest. I feel it will just get worse,” sais a parent.
