{"id":52654,"date":"2020-05-07T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T04:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/this-is-what-you-need-to-know-20200505-4\/"},"modified":"2020-05-07T06:00:24","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T04:00:24","slug":"this-is-what-you-need-to-know-20200505-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/this-is-what-you-need-to-know-20200505-4\/","title":{"rendered":"This is what you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n T<\/span>HE provisional date for learners to return to school during the nationwide lockdown has been scheduled for June 1. This is for Grades 7 and 12 learners only.<\/p>\n

Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, made the announcement during a press briefing last week. Prior to the minister\u2019s address, a virtual presentation of the Basic Education Sector Plan to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education was held.<\/p>\n

During this presentation, the provisional date for the reopening of schools was scheduled for today for Grades 7 and 12, but after unions and parents expressed their concerns about the readiness of schools with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic, the date was revised.<\/p>\n

Motshekga added that the sector would open on May 4, school management teams are to return to school on May 11 and teachers on May 18 to get everything ready for the two grades to return at the beginning of June.<\/p>\n

Motshekga emphasised that these dates are subject to change as learners cannot be sent back to school if the schools do not comply with health and safety regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll our plans will have to be approved by the Department of Health. It is also important that parents remember all the learners will not be going back to school at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe different grades will be phased back into the schooling system. Those dates will be communicated once we have looked at all the information,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

According to the director-general for the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Hubert Mathanzima Mweli, the school calendar has been amended and will end on December 9, five days later than the initial date of December 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lost school days will be recovered by shortening the June holidays to five days and the September holidays to a long weekend,\u201d Mweli said.<\/p>\n

He added that certain strict measures needed to be adhered to in order for teaching and learning to take place within a safe environment. Therefore, screening of learners and educators would take place when schools reopen and anyone showing signs of raised temperatures would be considered for isolation and testing.<\/p>\n

Other measures include maintaining social distances in classes by having not more than two learners sharing a desk. <\/p>\n

Hugging or any other form of direct contact should be avoided and cloth masks were to be worn by learners and teachers at all times.<\/p>\n

Mweli also emphasised that mass public events such as sports matches and choir practices, were prohibited. Additional classes should also be arranged in small groups.<\/p>\n

He explained that classrooms would be sanitised on a daily basis before lessons start as set out by the guidelines that would be provided to each school by the DBE.<\/p>\n

\u201cHands need to be sanitised before entering the classroom; learner movement between classes restricted and there should be no clustering of desks. The DBE will also work alongside the Department of Transport to ensure that buses are sanitised prior to transporting learners and hands sanitised before they get on the bus. Distance between learners should be maintained inside the bus and it will be compulsory for all to wear masks throughout the school day, commencing before boarding their transport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mweli also mentioned that a total of 3 475 schools require assistance with emergency water supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of Water and Sanitation has subsequently initiated an emergency water supply programme to install water tanks at critical points and having trucks deliver water to these tanks. The DBE will participate in this initiative to get water tanks installed at the identified schools and potable water delivered to the tanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, said that no campus-based activities would be taking place during level four of the nationwide lockdown. <\/p>\n

Only final year clinical students were to return to campus under strict safety measures. <\/p>\n

Remote learning would take place after a date has been set for students to return to universities and colleges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to save the academic year, but not at the expense of people\u2019s lives,\u201d Nzimande said.<\/p>\n

The following provides a breakdown of the DBE\u2019s provisional plan regarding the school curriculum and exams:<\/p>\n

How will Covid-19 affect the Grade 12 exams?<\/p>\n