The Department of Education has indicated that it is contemplating alternative placements for pupils who were affected by the floods in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) last week.
This as the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, and KZN MEC for Education Kwazi Mshengu visited several schools in the province this week.
Motshekga said the damage to schools is a major stumbling block to the education fraternity because learners are falling behind.
She said learners from severely affected schools will be allowed to attend classes at neighbouring schools until the department completes its assessment of the extent of the damage.
Motshekga confirmed that more than 100 schools are significantly impaired and inaccessible to learners.
She said: “They are inaccessible for some learners, but not other learners. What we are working on is to differentiate whom of those learners from the 101 schools are unable to go to school. Where are they? That is where my discussions with the minister of communications come in; on what we can do with them. Whether we can do remote and what the possibilities are.”
The minister, however, also explained that remote learning is not feasible for primary schools and said the department will work tirelessly to have schools reopened as soon as possible.
Motshekga added that some of the schools that were affected will resume learning as early as Friday.
She affirmed that her department has until Friday to confirm the number of learners that have been placed and schools that have reopened.
Said Motshekga: “We will be able to say by Friday which schools are not able to operate. There are schools that are seriously damaged. The MEC told me they have already requested neighbouring schools to accommodate pupils who are not from those schools.
“On Friday we will have a clear picture of how many pupils were we unable to place at neighbouring schools.”
Also read: Over 630 KwaZulu-Natal schools battered by floods
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