The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has reversed its decision to proceed with schools reopening in January.
Schools reopening pushed back by a month
Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule announced the breaking news in a statement, indicating that the decision was made after consultation with the Education ministries, the HOD committee, teachers unions and other stakeholders.
“Given the pressure experienced by the health system in the past few weeks, occasioned by increased Covid-19 infections which has led to the second wave, the Council of Education Ministers in conjunction with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and Cabinet, has taken the decision to delay the reopening of both public and private schools with two weeks,” Mhaule wrote.
This is how this decision affects the 2021 school calendar:
- Teachers return to their posts on Monday 1 February 2021; and
- learners return on Monday 15 February 2021.
These changes exclude the school management teams who report for duty on Monday 25 January 2021.
“DBE will work closely with all nine provincial education departments, to establish the true extent of the impact of the virus, resulting from the unfortunate demise of educators, workers and leaders in the sector, especially during the December/January holidays,” Mhaule added
Malema ticks off list of demands
The education department’s announcement comes a day after EFF leader Julius Malema fired warning shots aimed at Motshekga’s office.
In the fiery press briefing, Malema warned against reopening schools in the depths of a second wave.
MALEMA: We further call for the postponement of the reopening of all schools in light of the spike in new COVID-19 infections and uncontrollable rate of COVID-19 related deaths. #EFFPresser
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) January 14, 2021
He urged Motshekga to stop “gambling [with] the lives of teachers and children.”
“Families start losing their children because as leaders we failed to respect the situation we find ourselves and preserve the future of our nation. Our country will be confronted by unprecedented levels of depression and sorrow, should children begin dying in their numbers at the hands of this virus,” he warned.