Basic Education ‘ready’ for new academic year
The Department of Basic Education says significant progress has been made to ensure that all schools are ready to provide quality teaching and learning from day one next year.
The department has briefed parliament’s basic education committee on the school readiness for 2022.
A deputy director-general Simone Geyer told the committee that while monitoring teams continue to visit various schools to check Covid-19 protocols, the department is ready for 2022.
Geyer says all primary schools will open at full capacity.
“Primary schools functioning on a full capacity basis should practice maximum feasible physical distancing between learners. Ideally, all children should be at least one meter apart within classrooms, but where this is not possible, full capacity should still be commenced while maintaining the maximum feasible physical distance.
“Children should have mask breaks every two hours, which entails going outdoors and removing their masks for approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
“High schools can immediately resume full capacity learning of a physical distance separation of one meter between learners can be ensured.
Geyer says the department must ensure the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) at all schools.
The placing of pupils also remains an issue.
“These are two-fold: parents who ignore the published closing dates and parents from rural communities who move to big cities at the beginning of the year to lodge applications,” Geyer says.
“Informal settlements that spring up around established communities due to the influx from rural to urban areas also present a challenge as it is difficult to predict expected numbers ahead of the new year.
“This is particularly challenging in largely urban areas and impacts on a whole range of provisioning issues ranging from classroom space to teachers and textbooks.”
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