A number of local schools have said they would like to remain open, despite the increasing calls from teacher unions for schools to close until 17 August.
Two schools who would like to remain open are Makupula Secondary School, in Kayamandi, and Rhenish Girls’ High School, in Stellenbosch.
According to Sharon Hershaw, communications officer at Rhenish Girls’ High School, it is important for schools to remain open because they provide structure and routine during this period of uncertainty.
“Staff and learners are committed to completing the academic year. The learners have lost so much already,” Hershaw said.
Currently, students at Rhenish, whose grades have been phased-in, have the option to continue with remote learning at home or return to school for face-to-face classes. PHOTO: Instagram/Rhenish Girls’ High School
The cohort of five teacher unions, which includes the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) has asked the department of basic education to close all schools, as Covid-19 cases continue to surge in South Africa.
“NAPTOSA is calling for temporary closure, with the school holiday brought forward, to assist in flattening the curve,” David Millar, chief executive officer of NAPTOSA’s Western Cape branch, told MatieMedia.
However, there is no evidence that suggests that Covid-19 is spreading rapidly in schools, according to a statement released by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), on 21 July.
With only a few grades allowed to return back to school, most students are still at home. The National Professional Teacher’s Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) has proposed a curtailed curriculum that should be re-assessed regularly, said David Millar, chief executive officer of NAPTOSA Western Cape. PHOTO: Unsplash/Oussama Zaidi
Addressing accessibility to remote learning
To ensure that learning continues after the school holiday, NAPTOSA proposed that teachers continue with lessons online, or compile hard copy learning packs which can be fetched from the schools, Millar said.
At Makupula Secondary School, remote learning for students who are in grades that are yet to return to school has not started, said principal Charles Ndlebe.
“Some children don’t even have cell phones [and] it’s difficult to communicate with them, that is why we prefer that schools remain open,” Ndlebe said.
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During the initial stages of lockdown, Makupula Secondary School ran a drive, in partnership with Project Isizwe, to provide students and teachers with data for remote learning. PHOTO: Facebook/Makupula Secondary School
Remote learning will not work in households where teachers, students and their parents do not have smartphones and cannot afford data, said Nokuphiwa Katom, a parent and activist from Kayamandi.
“There are parents who are not educated, who don’t know how to help their children with their school work,” Katom said.
Although social distancing is a challenge in Kayamandi, schools are currently the most conducive environment for learning, said Katom.