S.African schools to be shut again
What you need to know:
- Schools had been closed in March following the introduction of a national lockdown.
- They then reopened on June 8 only to be met with increasing cases of learners, teachers and school staff testing positive for Covid-19.
- This led to more than 150 schools being forced to close for decontamination.
South Africa will be shutting down all public schools for four weeks as the country continues to battle against the coronavirus spread.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a televised speech on Thursday, said the country will close learning institutions to help tame the rising number of infections that have placed the country as the fifth most affected in the world.
Schools had been closed in March following the introduction of a national lockdown. They then reopened on June 8 only to be met with increasing cases of learners, teachers and school staff testing positive for Covid-19.
This led to more than 150 schools being forced to close for decontamination.
As teacher labour unions ramped up pressure on the Department of Education for schools to be shut, the government appears to have heeded the calls.
South Africa is currently sitting on 408,052 confirmed coronavirus cases and just over 6,000 deaths.
In a televised address to the nation on Thursday evening, Mr Ramaphosa announced schools would be closed from July 27 to August 24.
Grade 12 learners who are set to sit for crucial Matric exams this year will however be taking a one week break and will return to class on August 3, while Grade 7 pupils will close for two weeks.
“Now, with the number of infections rising in several parts of the country, there have been calls for schools to be closed again,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
“Over the last few days, the Department of Basic Education has met with more than 60 organisations representing parents, school governing bodies, principals, educators, independent schools and civil society organisations.
“It has also consulted with the Council of Education Ministers, representing the provincial education departments.”
As Ramaphosa added that the consultations brought a broad range of divergent views, this led to cabinet deciding “that all public schools should take a break for the next four weeks.”
The South African President also announced that the 2020 academic year will be extended and spill over into 2021 due to disruptions brought by the pandemic.
With South Africa already in the top five of countries with the world’s highest Covid-19 cases, Mr Ramaphosa said they are expecting to reach the peak of the pandemic soon and do not want schools to “become sites of transmission”.
