Johannesburg - The National Professional Teachers Union of South Africa says it is vindicated by a decision taken by the Council of Education Ministers on Thursday for only three more grades to return to school on Monday.
Earlier, the CEM - a body comprising Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her nine provincial education MECs - announced that only Grade R, 6 and 11 would return to school on Monday.
Initially, Grades R, 1, 2, 3, 6, 10 and 11 had been set to return.
Naptosa’s executive director Basil Manuel said on Thursday that they were "cautiously welcoming" the decision. He said teacher unions would continue to check if schools were indeed ready for the three grades to return on Monday.
“We are saying we cautiously welcome this and we are still going to check readiness for those grades because yesterday we were saying we do not believe the department is ready to accept such a big cohort.
“They have reduced the cohort and that reduction pleases us and it is also a vindication to say our research was on point, because our research indicated they are not ready.
“But let us also acknowledge the minister also, herself, who said if they are not ready, they will withdraw and she has,” said Manuel.
This week, in a "union news flash" to teachers, Naptosa had bemoaned that they were concerned about more than six million pupils returning to school on Monday.
Manuel wrote: “The fact that the next phase will coincide with the expected spike and peak in the Covid-19 cases in our country calls for sober and innovative decisions to be taken by the DBE and the provincial education departments.
“Fixation on the published school calendar as if it is cast in stone will not do in these circumstances. What is needed is flexibility and introspection. Options such as an earlier than intended break, or the postponement of the next phase, rather than having to consider random and unplanned school closures, will have to receive the Minister’s and the DBE’s serious consideration. We trust that they will not shy away from doing so”.
Manuel said the returning Grade R, 6 and 11 cohort was still a sizable cohort and said they would continue to check if schools were prepared to reopen.
Earlier, DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the CEM had considered five reports before making the decision.
He said Motshekga would brief the public at the weekend.
“After careful consideration of all the reports CEM took a decision that only Grade 6, Grade 11 and Grade R will return to school on Monday, 06th July 2020.
“The decision affects all provinces. The other grades will be phased during the month of July in a differentiated approach within the stipulated time frames as per the gazette of 29 June 2020 as published by the Minister,” said Mhlanga.
He said the five reports that were considered pertained to timetabling and curriculum fundamentals per grade, the registration and support for pupils whose parents had elected they be kept home but did not register for home schooling, support for pupils with comorbidities and assessing and examining in a Covid-19 environment.
Motshekga said the CEM would adjust the reopening based on a risk-adjusted approach which considered attempts to find a balance between schools reopening and all the factors that affected the work of the education system. “We are guided in this by an observation of the rising numbers of community transmissions throughout the country.
“We recognise that schools are based in communities and learners live in the same affected communities and therefore a careful balancing act must be maintained,” said Minister Motshekga.