School Governing Bodies hope Motshekga will strengthen COVID-19 protocols, speed up vaccine process

The National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) says it hopes that vaccines for teachers will be administered speedily so that when schools re-open in July, a large number of teachers would have been vaccinated.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is expected to host a media briefing this afternoon to provide an update on her department’s response to the impact of COVID-19 on schooling.

The Association’s Matakanye Matakanye says he hopes Motshekga will strengthen COVID-19 protocols, especially in disadvantaged schools to help reduce infection.

“We want to pursue the Department of Basic Education to ensure that the SOPs are in place, particularly areas like schools in deep rural areas, schools that are poor and schools in townships. Schools must have running water, masks sanitizers and everything.”

Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape Education Department plans to vaccinate at least 72 000 educators as part of its vaccine rollout as the infection rate continues to rise in the province.

By Thursday, 123 schools in the province recorded coronavirus infections. 272 cases were reported in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro which is considered a hotspot.

The video below is reporting on the Eastern Cape Education Department’s plans to vaccinate at least 72 000 educators: 

Education MEC Fundile Gade and his HOD, Naledi Mbude, were vaccinated on Friday morning in the lead-up to the rollout of vaccinations for teachers.

Gade said they have pulled out all the stops to ensure a smooth process.

Also the Health Department says a total of 479 768 people, mainly healthcare workers, have now been fully vaccinated with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine under the Sisonke Programme.

Gauteng accounts for the most fully vaccinated people at just short of 127 000. Almost 90 000 people received a vaccination – either the two dose Pfizer or the single dose J&J vaccine – in the last reporting period.