Teacher unions and Basic Education Department on a collision course over WHOâs Covid recommendation
By Norman Cloete
Share
Johannesburg - The fight to keep close to one million of SAâs school labour workforce away from the classroom continues today and teacher unions are taking their gloves off.
Teacher unions have accused the Department of Basic Education (DBE) of blatantly flouting a World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation that in order for schools to reopen, a country must have observed a 14-day consecutive decline in Covid-19 infections.
Teacher unions, Sadtu and Naptosa say this is not the case in SA and they will continue to oppose the decision by the DBE for School Management Teams (SMTs) to return to schools on January 25. The WHO on its website stresses it merely provides âguidelinesâ and itâs up to individual countries to conduct their own assessments and implement strategies which pave the way for the reopening of schools.
20 January 2021 - 06:50 Government schools are due to reopen on February 15. Some private schools have already started lessons and have switched to online tuition. Stock photo. Image: PAYLESSIMAGES/123RF
With most schools in SA set to reopen in mid-February, independent schools such as Curro have announced plans to move to online learning for pupils in grades 1 to 12.
The private school group announced learning at all its schools nationwide will move online from Tuesday.
The group had initially said it would hold face-to-face classes this week but halted plans after Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi called for schools to wait for an official government gazette when pupils return to school on February 15.
Some independent schools had already started with teaching and learning last week when the Department of Basic Education announced that schools would only reopen in mid-February.
Parents anger over fees as school delayed for two weeks
By Tanya Waterworth, Duncan Guy
Jan 16, 2021
Share
Durban - Parents have questioned the need to pay school fees for January, while teachers questioned the need to be at school before their learners.
This followed yesterday s announcement on the delay of schools opening by two weeks to February 15, by the Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Reginah Mhaule.
Mhaule said that the calendar for the school year had been revised to schools no longer opening on January 27 to February 15, due to the current wave of Covid-19 sweeping the country.
The fortnight delay was decided after consultation this week with the Council of Education Ministers, the Heads of Education Departments Committee, the national School Governing Body associations, teacher unions, learner formations and principals’ associations, as well as national associations representing independent schools.