Basic Education outlines recovery plan

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“We are going to lose 10 school days as a result of the school closures. To compensate for lost days, the June holidays will be cut short by a week. Once opened, schools will be encouraged to extend tuition hours,” said the Minister.

On Monday, government held an inter-ministerial media briefing on coronavirus interventions in South Africa after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster.

Among the interventions announced by the President was the closure of schools from Wednesday, 18 March 2020. Schools are set to resume on 14 April 2020.

Briefing on her department’s interventions, Motshekga said the closure of schools affects all schools - public ordinary schools, independent schools, private and early child development centres.

With schools identified as one of the biggest threats in terms of viral transmission, Motshekga said the department decided to close schools to limit the chances of transmission.

“The drastic step of closing schools has become necessary but we also needed to ensure that measures are put in place to mitigate the impact."

Recovery plans

Following the President’s announcement, the Basic Education Department convened a meeting of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM).

The CEM meeting agreed that each province, district, circuit and school must have a practical and comprehensive catch-up plan to be implemented.

“As things stand right now and based on expert advice, we should be able to manage coronavirus such that the negative impact on schooling is minimised,” said the Minister.

With all mass events of more than 100 people prohibited, Motshekga announced the cancellation of the South African School Choral Eisteddfod (SASCE), all school sports programmes and assemblies.

Teachers urged to get tested

With the impending break, the Minister urged teachers to get tested for coronavirus.

“As a sector, we will encourage our staff to get tested where possible and make sure we help those that need it.

“We will continue to consult with our stakeholders such as teacher unions and SGBs [school governing bodies] to deliberate on these matters,” said the Minister.

Motshekga appealled to parents to cooperate and ensure that the interests of children take top priority.