The Department of Basic Education has announced that schools will return to normal teaching schedules from Monday 7 February.
The announcement was made in a statement on Tuesday following Cabinet approval of changes to the Adjusted Alert Level 1 Covid-19 regulations on Monday night.
It states that mandatory social distancing between learners in a classroom had been removed, much to the relief of parents and learners alike at schools throughout the Helderberg.
“Primary, secondary and special schools will return to daily attendance,” said Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele in a statement. “The regulatory provision for social distancing of 1 metre for learners in schools has also been removed. The ministers of health and basic education will, in the coming days, issue directives on this new approach.”
Several schools were of the opinion that this would benefit the education of learners as the rotational systems posed interruptions to the learning schedule.
When schools opened last month acting principal at Dr GJ Joubert Primary School in Strand, Keith Meyer, stated he was fully supportive of the scrapping of social distance requirements in schools.
“It will only be to the benefit of our learners that the rotational system should be done away with and all learners should return for daily classes,” he said.
Principal at ACJ Phakade Primary in Nomzamo, Thobile Majongo, said he too was happy for the learners.
“We are looking forward to returning to normal schooling schedules,” he said. “It will benefit our learners and our teachers will be able to plan better for the year. We also expect attendance will improve. Yes, overcrowding will be the challenge, however, we are excited and ready to welcome back all our learners.”
Wilbur Hindley, principal of Somerset West Methodist Primary School, welcomed the return of all learners and operations at full capacity.
He explained that while the rotational system allowed for smaller classes and focused learning the return to pre-Covid operations will minimise the mental distress of school time lost, maximise in-class learning and allow for schools to again become a safe haven for vulnerable learners. “However, schools like ours already at capacity in terms of learner numbers and limited infrastructure, now have added pressures of accommodating the entire school body in adherence to Covid-19 regulations,” Hindley said.
. The change in school attendance is one of the resolutions taken following a special Cabinet meeting held on Monday, among other changes which include that people who test positive for Covid-19, but display no symptoms, will no longer need to isolate.
If you test positive with symptoms, the isolation period has been reduced from 10 to seven days.
