Cape Town - Educators at several schools across the province expressed their solidarity with colleagues who had lost their lives due to Covid-19 and those currently infected.
Educators and staff members at Portia Primary School in Lansdowne, Beacon School for LSEN in Mitchells Plain, Suurbraak Primary School in Suurbraak, Bernadino Heights High School in Scottsdene, Simanyene High School in Strand, and Rahmaniyeh Primary School in Zonnebloem, wore black clothing on Friday in solidarity.
The initiative was suggested via
a teachers support forum on
Facebook, encouraging educators to wear black in honour of their former colleagues, known and unknown to them, as well as affected learners.
Educator at Rahmaniyeh Primary School, Naweera Samsodien, said: “Teachers are glad to be back but all are afraid, especially with the influx of learners expected to return on the 6th. We are stressed about how we are going to manage screening and social distancing with the little ones.”
The Western Cape Education Department said that since May 22, 557 cases of Covid-19 had been reported among teaching and non-teaching staff members (1.5% of school staff members) and since June 1, 134 learners had contracted the virus (0.09% of learners in grades currently back at school, i.e. Grades 7, 12 and School of Skills Year 4).
“What saddens us most is that within the first week of schools reopening reports of educators who succumbed to Covid-19 and memorial services started streaming in on a private teachers group.
“A few educators on the group discussed how we could commemorate our deceased colleagues and display solidarity with our colleagues and learners who are currently suffering with Covid-19 infections since the reopening of schools,” said Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) Chairperson, André de Bruyn.
@TheCapeArgus