CAPE TOWN- Education and human rights authorities are expected to meet soon to discuss full-time classes at schools in the new year.
The SA Human Rights Commission (Sahrc) on Monday said that large numbers of primary schools around the country have continued on rotational timetables, and they have applied to rotate in 2022 as well.
The Commission said it was of the view that rotational learning has a long-lasting negative impact on learning outcomes for children.
“The Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) directive compromises the ability of primary schools (where the very foundation of learning takes place) to return to normal teaching and learning, notwithstanding reduced transmission and virus acquisition rates among teachers and learners in these schools as the majority of educators have been vaccinated and due to the low acquisition risk profile of primary school learners.
“The Commission agrees with the MAC (Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19) that ‘all primary schools should open at full capacity’.
“The Commission has therefore written to the Minister of Basic Education, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to call for an urgent meeting to discuss the termination of rotation in primary schools. This would essentially mean that the COGTA Minister needs to amend her directive by deleting the one-meter social distancing requirement in respect of primary schools,’ the SAHRC said.
They added that 86% of schools in Western Cape applied for rotational timetables for the 2022 academic year, however the Cape Times understands that the figure does not represent current applications, which have be processed for the new year.
Basic Education Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said they will meet with the Sahrc.
“We have received the letter and we will engage all parties involved as per the request of the Sahrc,” he said.
Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said that learning losses are catastrophic and will have long-term consequences for the learners themselves, as well as the economy.
“It is unclear why the Cogta Minister has now weighed into the Education arena, which was previously left to the Minister of Basic Education. We are absolutely in favour of the 1m rule being relaxed, especially in primary schools – subject to ongoing monitoring of Covid cases and the option to make changes if this leads to a large increase in infections. The Minister of Basic Education has in fact gazetted that primary schools should go back full-time, but the regulations gazetted by Minister Dlamini-Zuma have prevented this.
’’Our understanding is that even the MAC advisory committee has acknowledged that the learning losses far outweigh the Covid risks.”
Cogta did not respond to requests for comment by deadline on Monday.
Cape Times