South Africa
Schools not #COVID19 ready for teachers, pupils to return - unions─── 12:43 Wed, 13 May 2020
Education unions on Wednesday said not all schools in the country were COVID-19 ready and the return of matrics and grade 7 pupils must be postponed by another week.
The five unions said although they support Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga's decision that learning and teaching resume soon under strict social distancing and hygiene regulations, it must not be rushed.
The National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa said most schools had not yet received personal protective equipment and needed more time to prepare for pupils.
The union's Basil Manuel said: “The minister did table a report with us, which shows that many of the provinces are not ready and rushing into it would be reckless. That is why we have issued a statement that we are working together. However, an impression mustn’t be created that we have accepted that it is okay to send teachers and pupils back to school without minimum things being there.”
Motshekga is expected to announce the decision regarding the return of pupils to schools on Thursday.
