Cape Town – The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has slammed a protest near the N2 by pupils of Gordon High School in Somerset West, saying it's "unnecessary and harmful, not only to teaching and learning, but also a safety risk to teachers and learners".
"The school has followed all the relevant protocol in terms of managing a Covid-19 case in their school. The school was decontaminated and the relevant health procedures followed.
"No one has been told to come back with Covid-19 as it is being claimed," WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said on Wednesday.
"What they are doing is dangerous and a risk to the health and safety of these learners. We cannot have people forcefully entering school grounds. Our schools follow strict health and safety protocol and this kind of behaviour puts everyone at risk."
Explaining why they are protesting, a Grade 12 pupil told the African News Agency: "Last week Monday, a teacher tested positive at Gordon High School and they closed the school only for Tuesday.
"And Wednesday they forced everyone to come to school. The teacher that was positive came to school yesterday and everyone must be at school, that's wrong."
Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / African News Agency (ANA)
In a statement, the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) noted that Gordon's High School "is still operating despite cases of Covid-19 (being) reported".
"We will be locking down the school with our own padlocks and chains. We will be taking the radical approach. We urge concerned parents and community members to join us."
Bronagh said the department indicated yesterday that it would no longer accept such behaviour.
"No parent or community member has the right to prevent other people's children from going to school and accessing their constitutional right to education.
"Anyone who disrupts a school, prevents learners from accessing the school or prevents staff from performing their duties will be reported to SAPS.
"People, of course, have the right to raise concerns regarding health and safety, in fact, it is important that they do so. However, these concerns must be valid. What we have here is disruptive behaviour based on false allegations."