May 19 2020 - 18:06
Education minister says safety in schools is priority
The coronavirus has brought a lot of trauma and anxiety, education minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday.
She was aware of the many questions about the future of the academic year. It was important that the opening of schools did not contribute to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was uncharted waters, she added. There was an ongoing debate about children and contracting the virus.
She used the opportunity to condemn the "disturbing trend" of the vandalism of schools, saying a total of 1577 schools countrywide had been targeted.
Turning to the opening of schools, she said the preconditions for the reopening of schools will be met. This included the delivery of personal protective equipment and the cleaning of schools.
She said education officials met with teacher unions again on Tuesday to update them on the reopening of schools. Motshekga urged parents whose children had comorbidities to work closely with the schools on managing their situations.
"The virus has forced us to re-engineer the basic education system."
She said: "For learners, we will be reopening on the 1st of June... we will start with Grade 7s and 12s."
COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | Education minister says schools will reopen on June 1
Image: File
May 19 2020 - 18:06
Education minister says safety in schools is priority
The coronavirus has brought a lot of trauma and anxiety, education minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday.
She was aware of the many questions about the future of the academic year. It was important that the opening of schools did not contribute to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was uncharted waters, she added. There was an ongoing debate about children and contracting the virus.
She used the opportunity to condemn the "disturbing trend" of the vandalism of schools, saying a total of 1577 schools countrywide had been targeted.
Turning to the opening of schools, she said the preconditions for the reopening of schools will be met. This included the delivery of personal protective equipment and the cleaning of schools.
She said education officials met with teacher unions again on Tuesday to update them on the reopening of schools. Motshekga urged parents whose children had comorbidities to work closely with the schools on managing their situations.
"The virus has forced us to re-engineer the basic education system."
She said: "For learners, we will be reopening on the 1st of June... we will start with Grade 7s and 12s."
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