Charles Molele and Nyakallo Tefu

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga this week meets top education officials, including provincial MECs and heads of education departments to discuss proposed amendments to the 2020 School Curriculum, which could result in the cancellation of the June and September school holidays.

The high profile meeting is expected to take place between Wednesday and Thursday and will also discuss proposals by teacher union Sadtu to conduct compulsory mass screening of all learners and teachers before the re-opening of schools.

The earlier than expected school closures in March has adversely affected all learning programmes in public, independent and private schools as well as the early child development centres across the country.

Government is now looking at May 5 as a possible date for the reopening of schools after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to extend the lockdown to end of April.

Inside Education reported two weeks ago that the department was looking at the possibilities of postponing this year’s matric supplementary examinations in June to December due to coronavirus pandemic disruption of the 2020 academic year.

There have also been behind-the-scenes discussions within the Basic Education Department to amend the curriculum as part of government’s plans to recover time lost during the lockdown period.  

These will, among others, include cancellation of the June and Septermber holidays.

Learners could also find themselves having to attend schooling right through seven days a week in order to get back on track and make up for the lost time.

Motshekga has said in recent days that the department was also preparing recovery materials which would intensify teaching at the end of the lockdown. 

Professor Mary Metcalfe said basic education would need to contract the cirruculum as part of its recovery plans for at least 18 months.

“I am confident of the careful thinking that is being invested in the unfolding scenarios by the DBE. Contracting the curriculum in a recovery plan of at least 18 months without compromising the development of core knowledge and skills in each subject is an inevitability and a priority – and teachers will need support in implementing this appropriately relative to the needs of learners,” said Metcalfe.

“The big unknown is the various scenarios for schools opening, how a phased introduction will work in practice, and over what time frame.  The greatest priority for learners during the lock down is for them to be supported to have structured and purposeful days that include learning – but few families have the resources to ‘replace’ the learning of school, and teachers will need to pull together where the learners are in planning forward; typically learners ‘forget’ some learning after an extended school break.”

Ruksana Osman, Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Wits University, said amendments to the cirruculum was another viable way to recover lost time during the lockdown.

“Curriculum amendments can certainly be made in thoughtful ways; secondly calendars can be adjusted and finally online can be a viable option,” said Osman.

“For a while now the DBE has been speaking about rollout of tablets in schools. Some of this could work for some of the students. This will not be a perfect solution that will work for all, and searching for one solution in an Imperfect context will not work.  We need multiple approaches. Most important thoughtful interventions with due consideration for learning at this point is what will work. Focusing on online initiatives for all in an equitable way can help us out of the question about cancelling the year or having 7-day week school week. This virus has taught us that being resilient, caring and agile is what works,” said Osman.

After her meeting with provincial MECs and HODs, Motshekga will table the recovery plan to cabinet for further deliberation before the plan gets implemented.

During a meeting of directors general at the weekend, it was proposed that schools should reopen on May 5 following the president’s decision to extend the lockdown period to end of April.

 “There’s a view that schools must be reopened on May 5, but there’s high possibility that not all schools would be reopened depending on whether or not the areas in which they are located are regarded as high risk areas,” said a senior government official who asked to remain annonymous.

He added: “There was consensus during the meeting that the lockdown liftment should be done gradually. Areas that are high risk should remain closed. We cant lift the lockdown throughout the entire country as this could undo the progress that we have made in flattening the curve. There are areas that are high risk and if we lift the lockdown in those areas, it would be recipe for disaster,” said the senior government official, who attended the National Command team secretariat meeting at the weekend.

A senior Gauteng education official told Inside Education the province supperted calls to conduct screening of all learners and teachers before schools reopen. 

“One of the things that we need to look at is mass screening of the learners because we dont know who is positive or negative. We can’t have an influx of kids coming back to schools without knowing their status. We also need to discuss how to go about the process of fumigating the schools before learning resumes. We must also agree on the protocols around social distancing and whether or not learners put on musks on a daily basis and what the financial implications of that will be. The fact of the matter is that the schooling environment is going to be very different. Even within the department, we are going to have to decide whether its a wise move to have everyone back at work at the end of the lockdown or say only senior management should be back at the office while the rest of the officials are working from home,” said the provincial education official.

Cyril Ramaphosa

Since we declared the nation-wide lockdown, we have found that the majority of South Africans have responded with patience and understanding despite the considerable hardship.
 
There is a common appreciation that the measures that have been enforced since Friday 27 March are in the best interests of all.
 
While the majority of South Africans continue to respect the rules of the lockdown and the rights of others, there are some among us seeking to exploit this crisis for their own sinister ends.
 
It is a great indictment of our society that dozens of schools have been burgled, trashed or burnt to the ground.

When the lockdown is lifted and learning resumes, thousands of our children will have no school to return to, depriving them of the right to education.

Eskom has also reported an increase in cable theft and vandalism of its infrastructure since the lockdown began, resulting in power supply interruptions and damage that will cost a considerable amount to repair.
 
That public property is being vandalised while the entire country is experiencing hardship because of the lockdown, is a demonstration of utter disrespect and disregard for the majority of South Africans who are law-abiding.
 
It is despicable that criminals are using this period of the lockdown as a cover to break the law at a time when our law-enforcement authorities are occupied with supporting the national effort to contain the pandemic.
 
Unfortunately, criminals are also preying on the weak and vulnerable.
 
Our hearts go out to the family of Mama Ngenzeni Zuma who was raped and killed in KwaZulu-Natal last month by men who allegedly pretended to be soldiers to gain entry into her home.
 
We feel the pain of the family of 14-year-old Simphiwe Sibeko who went missing from her Soweto home, and whose body was found dumped in bushes last week.
 
As a nation, we are saddened at the death of Constable Percy Ramalepe who was shot and killed while attending to a domestic violence call in Johannesburg last week.
 
It is disturbing that during a time of such immense difficulty for our country, women and girls are being terrorised inside their own homes, forcing them to make desperate calls for help.

The number of calls to the GBV National Command Centre has increased since the lockdown began on 27 March.
 
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, violence against women has become a global problem.
 
Last week the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message that since restrictions were imposed by countries around the world to contain the coronavirus, women and girls were increasingly facing violence “where they should be safest: in their own homes”.
 
While reaffirming that lockdowns and quarantines were essential, Secretary-General Guterres said they were trapping women with abusive partners, resulting in “a horrifying global surge in domestic violence”.
 
“In some countries, the number of women calling support services has doubled,” the UN Secretary-General said.
 
As South Africa we have heeded the call for governments to prioritise gender-based violence in their national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
We continue to implement the Emergency Response Plan to end gender-based violence that was announced last year.
 
Support services to vulnerable women and children remain operational throughout the lockdown, including psycho-social services like counselling for women and children, sheltering and places of safety, and medico-legal services in cases of sexual violence.
 
The Gender-Based Violence National Command Centre remains operational.

I have directed the Minister of Police to ensure that Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units are reinforced at police stations during the lockdown and beyond.
 
We recognise since people may not leave their homes, women and children in abusive situations are vulnerable.

Survivors of violence may not have access to phones or airtime, or public transport to take them to a police station, shelter or a doctor.
 
To this effect the Interim Steering Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, in consultation with civil society organisations is developing guidelines and protocols for GBV management in the context of COVID-19.
 
Our law-enforcement officials are to be commended for swiftly arresting suspects in the recent murders of the two women. They should also be commended for arresting and charging 148 suspects for crimes of gender-based violence since the start of the lockdown.
 
We are aware that the restrictions that have been placed on people’s movement and the confinement to their homes is a frustration for many.
 
But there is no excuse, nor will there ever be any excuse, for violence – against women, children, the elderly, members of the LGBTQI+ community, foreign nationals, not against anyone.
 
Vandalism of public property and key economic infrastructure will not be tolerated. We call upon communities to play their part in reporting such acts, because they seldom take place in the absence of witnesses.
 
When communities allow themselves to be passive bystanders when they witness crime, they become party to the sabotage that ultimately disadvantages ourselves, our children and our communities.
 
I have a message for those callous criminals who think they can take advantage. The criminal justice system is not on leave. Our law enforcement authorities will deal with those who transgress the law. You will be arrested, you will be tried and you will be put behind bars.
 
As the UN Secretary-General said in his message, women’s rights and freedoms are essential to strong, resilient societies. Violence against women erodes the moral fibre of our society. It sinks its insidious roots in families and communities, causing the cycle to be repeated across generations.
 
Our resolve and commitment to rid our country of this scourge remains firm. We will continue to bring all the state’s resources to bear to support vulnerable women and children, and ensure that perpetrators face the full might of the law.
 
I call on the men of South Africa and all citizens to play their part to combat gender-based violence and to provide survivors with the necessary support and assistance. This time of difficulty does not diminish the responsibility of every citizen to respect the rights and dignity of others.
 
Some have called for a gender-based violence ‘ceasefire’ during the time of pandemic. This is not enough. We want to see it end, once and for all.

Theo Garrun

Four schools remained unbeaten at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival at St Alban’s College, writes THEO GARRUN.

Helpmekaar Kollege emerged the standoutteam of the Independent Schools Cricket Festival with three wins and a match washed out by a Highveld thunderstorm.

Three others – Hilton College, St John’s College of Johannesburg and St Andrew’s College of Grahamstown – also avoided an ‘L’ on the scoresheet.

The festival is in its 32nd year and in all but three of those it has been organised and hosted by St Alban’s College. The exceptions were occasions when three of the regular participants made the festival part of their centenary celebrations.

No one is certain why St Alban’s holds such a privileged position for the first-team event, since independent schools festivals in all the other age groups rotate around the country. It seems the festival started as a small event hosted by the Pretoria school and as it grew over the years there has been an agreement that St Alban’s should continue hosting it.

This year, there were 20 schools in action in the four-day tournament, making it the second-biggest festival after the Michaelmas Week which has 24. Games were played at St Alban’s, the University of Pretoria’s LC De Villiers complex and at Cornwall Hill College. The three Johannesburg schools – St John’s, St Stithians and St David’s – hosted two games each.

All three formats of the game were included: time cricket on day one, 50 overs on days two and three and T20 on the final day.

Helpmekaar beat St John’s of Harare, a CSA TAP XI from the Titans region and Cornwall Hill, and had their game against St Andrew’s School abandoned. St Andrew’s of Grahamstown beat St Alban’s and St Benedict’s and drew their game against St John’s (Johannesburg), with the one no-result. St John’s beat Bishops, drew with St Andrew’s and tied with Hilton in their T20 game on Sunday.

Hilton substituted one of their 50-over games with another time cricket encounter and drew against their neighbours, Michaelhouse. They beat St Stithians in the first innings on day one.

Most of the standout performances across the four days came from batsmen. The exception was a remarkable bowling display on day four from Gregory Ford of St John’s (Johannesburg), who took 7-22 off his four overs to help bowl Hilton out for 99 in their T20 encounter. St John’s equalled that total off the last ball of the game and it was decided not to have a super over.

The outstanding batsman of the festival was Dion Myers of St George’s College, Harare. He captained Zimbabwe at the ICC U19 World Cup earlier in the year and showed all that class and experience in notching up two centuries – 128 against St David’s and 155 against St Alban’s. His 155, on the excellent surface at the TC Mitchell Oval at St Alban’s, came off 137 balls and included 24 fours.

Two other centuries were scored: Ethan Kieffer made 152 for Bishops against St Alban’s on day one and followed that up with 58 not out against Michaelhouse on the second day. Liam McCarthy struck 105 for St Stithians against St Andrew’s of Bloemfontein on the Saturday. It was on one of the smallish outer fields at St Alban’s but according to Saints’ coach, Philip Koen, it was one of the best knocks he has seen from McCarthy in what has been a stellar career at the school.

Apart from the four hundreds made, there were a number of big half-centuries. Nicholas Barlow of St Andrew’s College was out on 99 against St John’s on the opening day; Slade van Staden made 77 for Hilton against St Andrew’s College; Travis Norris of Bishops made 73 against St John’s (Johannesburg); Jonathan Miltz of St John’s (Johannesburg) was 59 not out against Bishops; Christiaan Daniels made 61 for the CSA TAP team against St John’s (Harare) and the visitors’ Dane Schadendorf got 63 in the same game; and Arnaud du Plessis of St Alban’s made 77 against St Georges.

St Alban’s director of sport Krinesan Moodley was impressed with the cricket played over the four days. ‘These players are all from private schools and they are used to playing on pristine fields in perfect conditions. It was admirable to see how well they adapted to the varying conditions of the fields and we saw some good performances,’ he said.

‘That we got as much cricket in as we did over four days of almost non-stop rainy weather speaks volumes of the dedication of everyone who contributed to the event. We look forward to next year.’ 

This article appears in the April-June issue of SA Cricket magazine