Sadtu worried about readiness to resume classes
All eyes will be on Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande and his basic education counterpart Angie Motshekga tomorrow when they provide guidance on how the 2020 academic year will be salvaged.
The country’s biggest teacher union, Sadtu, has made several proposals to ensure the health of teachers and pupils are prioritised when schools reopen their doors.
Among the union’s proposals are that government should ensure that learning institutions have enough soap, disinfectants and sanitisers – and that hygiene is part of the curriculum and should be the first thing to be practised before any daily learning activity can take place.
Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleka said the union was concerned about the readiness of the provincial departments with regard to the availability of health and safety essentials that have to be put in place in the learning institutions at least two weeks before any activity can take place.
“Sadtu has the right to be concerned about the safety of members and communities and does not feel ashamed to have these concerns. We must express them openly so that together we can contain the spread of the virus,” Maluleka said.
Nzimande’s spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said the minister has been holding briefings and consultations with the stakeholders in the post-school education and training, as well as in the science and innovation sector in order to brief stakeholders on measures that the department will be implementing in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the entire sector.
Nzimande’s speech will be keenly watched as the pandemic has laid bare the inequality that exists in South Africa’s postschool education system.
While some universities across the country resumed their academic year online on Monday, there seems to be no unified strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges to resume their academic year.
