Staff Reporter
Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela and Education MEC Tate Makgoe are expected to brief the media on the phased in re-opening of schools in the province next Thursday.
Schools are set to re-open on Monday starting with Grades 7 and 12 classes after being closed for more than two months in line with the national lockdown put in place to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
A statement issued by the Free State provincial government said the briefing will elaborate on the factors considered to allow schools to re-open.
“Essentially, the briefing will focus on the nine critical areas that were considered before the resumption of face-to-face learning and teaching,” read part of the statement.
Some of the factors, according to the statement, include staffing and curriculum; basic sanitising and hygiene; infrastructure; scholar transport; psycho-social services; school governing body support; orientation for staff and learners; and the school nutrition programme.
According to the provincial government, different stakeholders were engaged to ensure a smooth resumption of schooling.
The media briefing will be held at Tsoseletso Secondary School in Bloemfontein starting at 10am.
Health MEC Montseng Tsiu and the MEC for Social Development, Mamiki Qabathe, will also give updates on their areas of work aligned to education.
There will be limited sitting at the school in line with the current COVID-19 regulations and those interested in following the event have been encouraged to do so on different social media platforms.
Parents in the Free State have been pressing Makgoe to give them assurance it will be safe to send their children back to school in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging the world.
The announcement by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga last week that schools will start re-opening in phases next month was met with mixed reactions with some saying it was too early to resume school as COVID-19, which forced the country to go into lockdown, was yet to reach its peak.
Others have argued there have not been adequate preparations to ensure the safety of both the teachers and learners.
This forced Makgoe, who was still consulting with different stakeholders, to appeal for patience from parents and learners who want to know about the province’s state of readiness to open schools next month.