Staff Reporter
Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe believes public schools, which have been ordered to take a month-long break to avert the spread of the coronavirus, remain a safe place for learners as they are constantly screened for the disease while their movements are also regulated.
In his supplementary budget vote speech presented on his behalf by Economic Development MEC Makalo Mohale, Makgoe said while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive to close schools allows for an opportunity to re-evaluate school operations, the phased reopening of schools had proved an effective way to monitor the health of learners.
“. . . we still believe that learners are better at school than in communities and homes where the infections are actually taking place,” Makgoe said in his speech.
All public schools have been ordered to take a four-week break starting July 27 to August 24.
Grade 12 learners and teachers will only take a week-long break from July 27 to 31.
Grade 7 learners will return to school on August 10 and the academic year will be extended beyond 2020.
“This break will give us an opportunity for schools to prepare for the return of more grades to school later in August,” Makgoe said in his R15.6 billion budget speech.
“We appeal to school communities to continue with their work during the break.
“Parents, teachers and learners alike are urged to continue with school work.”
Makgoe urged schools to make arrangements with parents for learners to get work or materials for them to remain fully engaged during the break.
“Education is very much part of our livelihood. We are dealing with a completely new environment,” he said.
“We need to be afforded the opportunity and space to gradually settle in dealing with the new normal of operating under COVID-19, in line with the risks adjusted differentiated approach in reopening schools.”
Makgoe said since the reopening on schools on June 8, COVID-19 had claimed the lives of three teachers.
“. . . we have 760 teachers who had tested positive for COVID-19,” he said.
“Sadly, we (have) lost three teachers to this virulent pandemic . . . (while) an estimated 294 learners . . . also tested positive for COVID-19.”
The depth of the loss, according to Makgoe, is compounded by the COVID-19 restrictions that do not allow people to mourn together
“There are no COVID-19-related deaths of any learner that have been reported in the province so far,” he said.
“This confirms the advice received from health experts that children, in general, are less likely to get or spread COVID-19 and that they are less likely to get seriously ill from it.”
The MEC said despite the disruptions brought by the pandemic, the province is set to retain its top spot in the matric pass rate and has set a target for a 90 percent pass rate with 40 percent bachelor passes.
Makgoe also announced that rural schools will undergo major reorganisation over the next three years which will see non-viable farm schools being closed.
“For the next three years, all non-viable farm schools with less than 50 learners or any school with more than 50 learners where a teacher teaches all the subjects across grades will be closed as these circumstances do not promote quality teaching,” he said.
“Most learners in these schools cannot complete schooling because they are not able to cope and are likely to drop out of the system.
“In terms of learners travelling long distances to schools, we are reviewing non-viable routes with the intention of closing them down.
“We will be moving our farm school learners from both the non-viable schools and routes to hostels.”
The provincial education department currently has 39 farm school hostels accommodating 5 400 learners at a yearly cost of R84 million.
The programme, according to Makgoe, has worked very well and managed to protect vulnerable rural learners from different social challenges.
He said learners have managed to complete their education with some going as far as registering at colleges and universities and completing their studies.