South Africa’s five major teacher unions have called for the immediate closure of all schools as coronavirus cases continue to surge.

This, they said, must apply to all grades until the end of August, which is when Covid-19 infections are expected to peak, the Sunday Times reported.

The unions said in a proposal document, that matric students should return on 17 August and that these students should be assisted in various ways while learning from home.

Other grades should only return at the end of August, subject to a review based on the development of the virus, the unions said.

Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga will now discuss these proposals with the cabinet, the paper reports.

Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga confirmed to the Sunday Times that a meeting of the Council of Education Ministers took place on Saturday (18 July). He said the the ministers’ engagement will be ‘announced in due course’.

“We wish to reiterate that it is the cabinet that will make the decision on whether schools close or remain open,” he said.

Minister Motshekga said this week that around 16,000 teachers have comorbidities, putting them at greater risk should they contract Covid-19.

(Source: BusinessTech)

THE Pretoria High Court has ordered the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to resume school’s nutrition programme to nearly 10 million eligible learners with immediate effect, regardless of whether they are back in class.

The matter was brought before the court by Equal Education, Section-27 and two Limpopo school governing bodies.

The applicants argued that the COVID-19 induced national lockdown did not serve as a basis to deprive pupils of their right to nutrition.

There had been mounting concerns that the lockdown period, and the consequent closure of schools exacerbated hunger among children in the country who received their only daily meals at school.

The school feeding scheme was suspended when schools shut down in March, and since that time the Department of Basic Education has failed to honour the promises it made to reinstate the programme and to ensure learners would not go hungry.

Equal Education and the two Limpopo school governing bodies were represented by Equal Education Law Centre and SECTION27, and counsel Geoff Budlender SC, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC and Thabang Pooe.

“We celebrate this victory for the over nine million learners in South Africa who depend on the NSNP for a nutritious meal every day, and for the many learners and caregivers who put their testimonies before the court,” the parties said in a joint statement. 

“We welcome the judgment for its recognition that the constitutional rights to basic nutrition and basic education are interdependent, and celebrate this as a victory not only for over nine million learners, but for the millions of households whose food security has been gravely compromised due to the Covid-19 necessitated lockdown. For learners to receive meals at school will ease the strain on caregivers – many of whom have lost their income and are struggling to put food on the table.”

The judgment also, in a supervisory interdict, ordered Motshekga and the Education MECs of eight provinces to file detailed plans and programmes for the resumption of the NSNP to all eligible learners within 10 days. Thereafter, the Minister and the MECs will be required to file updates with the court every 15 days to prove that the plans to provide meals to learners are actually being implemented.

In her judgment, Judge Poterrill reflected on the centrality of basic nutrition and the violation of learners’ rights in this regard: “Children are categorically vulnerable, poor hungry children are exceptionally vulnerable. The degree of the violation of the constitutional rights are thus egregious.”

(Compiled by Inside Education staff)

NYAKALLO TEFU

BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga is expected to meet education stakeholders to discuss the devastating impact of COVID-19 on schools and the education system in South Africa.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Motshekga said consultations will be concluded on Friday.

“The purpose of the meetings will be to obtain input on the issues regarding the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to schools,” said Motshekga.

On Tuesday, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) called for schools to be closed during the peak of the COVID-19 infections. 

The teachers union said the health and safety of educators and learners is at risk as the coronavirus peaks, but called for remote learning and teaching to continue online until the peak is over. 

SADTU’s general secretary Mugwena Maluleka insisted: “If we lived in an equal society, we would call off the 2020 academic year. However, that would be unfair for learners from poor backgrounds as independent schools are continuing with schooling.”

Basic Education said it was not the department’s initial plan to meet with SADTU as earlier reported in the media.

“We wish to clarify that the Minister had no planned meeting with SADTU in particular but has made arrangements to meet with all key stakeholders that include school governing body associates and civil society that operate in the basic education sector,” it said.

The department added that engagements will inform the minister’s proposals to the Cabinet at the weekend.  

“Once all the engagements have been concluded an announcement will be made. We wish to restate that the decision to reopen schools was taken by Cabinet after extensive consultation which culminated in the phased approach to the resumption of duty in the sector.”

Schools remain open until further notice, said the department.

(Compiled by Inside Education staff)

NYAKALLO TEFU

THE South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) on Tuesday called on Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga to shut down schools as the country approaches the long-feared coronavirus storm. 

The call was made following a special meeting by the union’s national executive committee (NEC) to discuss the spread of the virus at schools across the country.

The union’s general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said Sadtu has called for an urgent meeting with Motshekga, failing which the union would have no choice but to take action against the minister.

“Many people have gone to court and failed. We know what action to take to get through to the minister without going to court. The court will be the last resort,” said Maluleke after the union’s special national executive committee meeting on Tuesday.

“The situation is dire. We as an organisation cannot continue to send messages of condolences to families. The rate of community transmissions are impacting on schooling.”

Maluleke said the teachers union is calling for interactive radio and TV lessons during school closures.

“We also encourage the use of education apps where content is verified; these are some suggestions we are proposing during school closures,” said Maluleke.

The union said learners and teachers can also make use of apps such as Whatsapp to continue with studies.

“Learning must not stop when schools are closed, we need to perfect other platforms in terms of blended learning, we have to train teachers to be able to use these specific platforms, this is a long-term solution because of the pandemic we are facing,” said Maluleke. 

This call for online learning comes after unions rejected it when the lockdown started in March, saying some learners will be left out due to their socio-economic backgrounds. 

However, SADTU has taken an about-turn, saying this is because it is being predicted that the pandemic may still be around in two years and long-term solutions are vital.

“We are working with a number of institutions including of health, we are told the pandemic maybe for two years and in South Africa, it maybe 3-5 years because we aren’t so privileged. So, we need to find long term solutions to move forward,” said Maluleke. 

The union said unfortunately it cannot call for the academic year to be cancelled because the country is not equal. 

“If we were living in a country of equality, we would declare the academic year over, but we are not. Independent schools are continuing with schooling and that means public schools from poor backgrounds will not have children continuing with their education,” said Maluleke. 

The union said they have not set a date to meet with the minister.

However, this will be done urgently.

Sadtu urged its members to continue going to school until they are advised otherwise by the teacher union. 

“We are not a lawless society. We are not saying we must stay home immediately. We will engage the Minister first before going forward,” said Maluleke. 

(Compiled by Inside Education staff)

SOCIAL Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says only 1 400 of over 18 000 Early Child Development (ECD) Centers are ready to re-open. 

Zulu briefed the media on Monday, saying the ECD centers met the criteria and have been verified by government to open. 

ECDs have to follow regulations and directions on safety protocols such as screening, sanitising, disinfecting, wearing masks for children over two years, and social distancing.

“The Department of Social Development has gazetted regulations on the re-opening of ECD centres,” said Zulu. 

Zulu said the Department says so far 18 632 facilities have done self-assessment through filling forms provided on the department’s website. 

“Only over 1481 centers have been verified by government,” said Zulu. 

(Compiled by Inside Education staff)

INSIDE EDUCATION REPOTERS

TEACHER unions have lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa for failing to address school closures during his live address on Sunday night despite raising concerns about the skyrocketing and alarming rate of infections in COVID-19 cases.

During his address, Ramaphosa announced the reintroduction of a number of lockdown restrictions as the country grapples with rising coronavirus cases, saying the COVID-19 storm “is far fiercer and more destructive than any we have known before.”

The unions have slammed Ramaphosa for failing to deal with school closures once and for all, saying they have gathered new evidence that shows that schools in South Africa shouldn’t be allowed to reopen because it is now clear that the pandemic is not under control.

The SA Democratic Teachers Union on Tuesday called on Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to close all schools until after the COVID-19 peak.

“The situation is dire. We as an organisation cannot continue to send messages of condolences to families. The rate of community transmissions are impacting on schooling,” said Maluleke after the union’s special national executive committee meeting on Tuesday.

Since the reopening of schools in June 2020, more than 200 schools have been forced to close after 2 740 teachers and 1 260 learners were infected by the virus.

The Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) said the major outbreaks at schools were now inevitable because the virus was at its peak as earlier predicted by modellers and scientists, and that there was a likelihood that more learners, teachers and staff will now bring COVID-19 into their classrooms.

“We are very disappointed, especially after the President’s address on Sunday for failing to education matters and school closures,” said EUSA co-founder Kabelo Matlhobogoane.

“This is proof teachers are not highly valued in South Africa. The teaching fraternity is angry and feels betrayed by President Ramaphosa because he missed a golden opportunity to bring sanity and calm to the nation that is on a high panic alert as COVID-19 infections escalate.”

Matlhobogoane accused Ramaphosa of deliberately ignoring the facts on the ground about the rising infections at schools and the failure of government to contain the disease, including providing water and sanitation.

“We have seen in Gauteng several Grade 7 learners under the age of 9 who died from COVID-19. But it does not end there. Even officials of the Department of Basic Education have died from the virus. More than 30 teachers have died so far. Instead of addressing all of this, the President blamed the community. He blamed people who are victims at this stage,” he said.

Teacher unions believe that with the current infection rates in South Africa, schools should likely stay shut until the danger of COVID-19 has passed.

On Thursday July 9, Sadtu wrote a letter to Motshekga requesting an urgent meeting to address the alarming increases in infections.

The special NEC meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday at 10am.

It will be followed by a media briefing at 1pm.

“[We would like to discuss with the minister] about the Department of Basic Education’s Response Strategy to the new body of evidence that the virus is airborne and the spikes in infections,” said Mugwena Maluleke, Sadtu’s general secretary in the letter.

“We refer to the above matter and request an urgent meeting to deal with the new body of evidence as published by a number of reputable journals and the WHO. We further wish to bring to your attention the spikes in infections in our institutions. The schools are trying under difficult conditions to comply and coordinate with the compliance officers, but are finding it difficult to cope.”

“The schools that experience cases are sometimes left to operate for more than three days waiting for the compliance officers or the Department of Health to help. This is traumatising the heads of institutions and the circuit officials who end up taking matters into their own hands to deal with such complex matters.”

Maluleke added: “The situation warrants a national response because we have learned that after your pronouncements some provinces will deviate from your directions in matters of health and safety. We have learned during this period that some provinces are providing just one mask per learner despite them having told you that they were ready for all the grades that were published in your earlier directions.”

The Athlone Teachers’ Group’s Clement Meyer said the meeting between Sadtu and Basic Education Minister on Tuesday should address the closure of schools with immediate effect. 

“We disagree with the unions’ reluctance to campaign to shut down schools. There must be a shutdown now. What we are saying is that it is suicidal for us to continue and putting our learners and teachers at risk. The movement of people is causing the virus to spread and schools cause people to move on a daily basis, which will in turn affect communities,” said Meyer.

Jonavon Rustin, Sadtu’s provincial secretary in the Western Cape, said the union was deeply concerned about the infection numbers in schools and that the personal protective equipment (PPE) was insufficient.

“As Sadtu Western Cape we have always said that when the peak reaches our areas, whether it’s the province or the country, we need to ensure that schools are not opened so we can protect the movement of people around. That includes learners and teachers so that we contain the spread of the disease and also ensure that both learners and teachers are safe,” said Rustin.  

“We need to ensure that all protocols are in place at schools. We are deeply worried about the infection rate, including in education institutions because on a daily basis schools are opening and closing and this is causing huge anxiety among teachers, learners and parents. Therefore, SADTU had called on the minister for an urgent meeting. We hope the meeting will be convened soon so that the new evidence can be discussed with the Minister.” 

Executive director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) Basil Manuel, however, believes the idea of completely shutting down schools would be impossible at this stage. 

Sadtu has called for an urgent meeting with Motshekga, failing which the union would have no choice but to take action against the minister.

The story has been updated.