MPS WANT SCHOOLS OPENING POSTPONED

EZULWINI – Parliamentarians have proposed a further postponement of schools reopening to August.

This transpired during a meeting convened by the Ministry of Education and Training and the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee members on COVID-19 preparations for schools reopening at the Happy Valley Hotel, yesterday.

The proposal was first made by Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Simelane, who stated that they had noted with concern from other countries the spread of COVID-19 during the winter season, hence the proposal.

According to Simelane, the country should therefore wait another two months until the winter season was over to reopen schools. He mentioned that he was against the movement of pupils in public transport from home to school and putting themselves at risk of contracting COVID-19.

He wondered if it was possible for the pupils to be housed in various boarding school facilities across the country and teachers manage them in one area.
“This will be very helpful as pupils would study together and not infect others, including their parents,” he noted.

Simelane said the situation was not normal and he was convinced that when the completing classes at tertiary level were attended to, including the Form Vs, they would conquer. He said he believed that teachers and the Ministry of Education and Training had the power to control Grade I to Form IV pupils.
Simelane said: “As a country, we should not be seen opening schools because we see neighbouring countries doing so, but should consider readiness, especially in terms of infrastructure.”
The Siphofaneni MP also wanted to know from the Ministry of Health how ready the country was should the reopening of schools result in the spread of the coronavirus.

Virus

Supporting Simelane, Nkomiyahlaba MP Welcome Shongwe said they could not ignore the fact that the virus spreads rapidly in cold weather conditions, which was why they were suggesting that schools should be reopened in August. Shongwe said this was aimed at avoiding the likelihood of both teachers and pupils contracting the virus. Meanwhile, Ludzeludze MP Vusi Swali also noted that it would be a wise idea not to reopen schools while it was still cold. Meanwhile, he said there was the issue of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) who could be at a much greater risk.

Responding, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training Bertram Stewart said they had thought about the issue of boarding facilities, unfortunately the country did not have adequate structures as there were more pupils. Stewart said the total number of pupils to sit for external examinations this year in Grade VII, Form III and Form V was around 62 000, while there were 20 316 teachers.

He said the option of boarding facilities was stopped as it could not work with the current infrastructure the country had.
Currently, he said when schools open, they would regroup the Form Vs with others using classes that accommodated other grades to create space. Stewart said the numbers would be overwhelming but it was the only option they had for now. He noted that the reason they were recalling all teachers back to school was to assist with issues of revision.

The PS said the start with the Form Vs would be used as a test case to see if they were able to manage the numbers and also considered the fact that they were towards the end of their syllabus when the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak began.

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