PRESS RELEASE
ATT: ALL MEDIA
AL JAMA-AH QUESTIONS RUSH TO OPEN SCHOOLS
29 APRIL 2020
AL JAMA-AH says the proposed plan to open schools before the majority of the economy opens is absurd! The Party values education and wants to ensure that our learners are taught under the best possible conditions but our motto is health and safety first. We have listened to the Department of Basic Education’s COVID-19 Basic Education Sector Plan to phase in the back to school programme which we find ill-informed of the real situation on the ground.
The Command Council seems to be sending out mixed messages to the public and seems not to consider the views of majority educators, workers and parents. We question as to why the DBE wants to rush into a situation and put educators and learners’ health and lives at risk. Majority of our classrooms are overcrowded with about 40 plus learners which will make Social Distancing impossible in our schools.
We obey Regulations by not attending congregational prayers, but learners will be allowed to “congregate” up to 40 in a classroom. This Sector Plan is not in touch with the thinking of the government and the people on the ground. We would like to see schools open, but there are many strategies to be put into place first. We have about 13 million learners who will need 26 million masks and what about masks for the 45 000 educators and of course schools must be sanitised every day. But we have a bigger problem as more than 5000 schools do not have running water and proper sanitation facilities which cause a huge health risk. The Plan also talks about counselling for traumatised teachers and learners which is good, but how will this take place when already our schools experience a severe shortage of psychologists?
AL JAMA-AH says that the re-opening of classes for grades 7 and 12 must only be considered after the expected surge of the Coronavirus and all other grades should return to school next year. The grades 7 and 12 learners must get immediate online and home schooling with teachers and teachers should be redeployed to assist classes of up to 10 learners.
The Party calls on the Education to be transformed which will see grades 7 and 12 learners as the first citizens of the new cyber civilisation that the world must move to. All other grades must be promoted to the next class but in this blended class the syllabus for the missed year and current year must be trimmed to achieve some form of normalisation in 2021.
AL JAMA-AH states that sanitation booths with temperature scanning at school gates is a non-negotiable demand for the Party.
We trust Minister Angie Motshekga’s announcement tomorrow will be more realistic.
Issued by
Ganief Hendricks (Al Jama-ah Leader in Parliament)
Cell: 082 780 2573