It’s a daunting time for South Africa’s parents. Many are scared about the prospect of their children’s return to school as Covid-19 infections soar.
Others are adamant life must return to normal but preventative measures must be taken. Saturday Star spoke to several parents about their fears and expectations.
Single mother Sonia Guerrero*, who lives in the south of Joburg, is terrified her teenage daughter Isabelle* could contract Covid-19.
“She has asthma and I know that Covid-19 is a respiratory disease, so I’m doing everything I can to keep my daughter healthy. It is her final year and she really wants to study law next year so her matric year is so important.”
Guerrero is returning to work from Monday and will no longer be able to home school her daughter, who fortunately lives within walking distance of her school.
“She is old enough to understand what is going on and she is a responsible child so I trust her to take all the precautions.” Karishma Dipa
Glen Hlongwane and his wife don’t feel comfortable sending their two children back to school.
"It’s a dilemma for parents. The Covid-19 cases are on the rise and yet they have taken the decision to open schools. I feel if they keep it online until the spread of Covid-19 goes down, that would be the responsible thing to do.
“I don’t see why I would want to risk my child’s health and my family’s health, by just taking them to school since we have no idea whether this virus can be controlled at schools. We aren’t even sure about the safety protocols they have put in place for our kids.” Sameer Naik
Natasha Sass will be sending her daughter Thaakirah back to school once her grade is phased in.
“Although I would gladly sacrifice the academic year, this does not guarantee my child’s safety since we are unable to predict when a possible vaccine may be available for this virus.”
She had to take her child’s emotional well-being and mental health into consideration.
“The lockdown has impacted my daughter in a negative way, not only emotionally and mentally, but physically as well. As a mother, it is my duty to act in a responsible manner regarding all aspects of her well-being. School plays a very big part in the lives of adolescents... to become more social and interactive, as well as equip themselves, both intellectually and socially, for the outside world.
“This is incredibly important for Thaakirah, considering the fact that she has issues with confidence. I understand the risks involved, but we encounter those risks on a daily basis. We risk the possibility of contracting the virus by shopping for essential goods.
“I take the risk of passing it on to my children each day when I return from work. If we are willing to take that risk in order to instil some normality in our lives, who are we to keep that sense of normality from our children?” Sameer Naik
Like most parents, Tania Subben* has spent the past few months trying to juggle motherhood, work and her domestic responsibilities.
Her sons, aged 8 and 11, are frustrated and can’t wait to return to school.
“They really want to see and play with their friends again but now is not the time. It’s so hard explaining this to young boys. The schools can’t guarantee that they will keep our children safe and I’m not sure I’m willing to take that risk,” she said.
Her older sister has been helping the boys with their schoolwork and she is considering continuing this for the foreseeable future.
“But I’m also not sure if this is the best option for them because education is so important and I don’t want to set them back.” Karishma Dipa
Initially Vishmita Mehta-Bhula and her husband weren’t going to send their children back to school, but they are more open to it now.
“We had a few concerns with my son Shyam as he has a corrected heart defect and we are heading into winter as well. The paediatrician feels that as long as a child’s immune is strong the risks are low.”
The school has done their utmost, she says. “We are indecisive pending how the Covid-19 spread increases and will see how things are going at school with the grade 7s and 12s. We still have a month so this will give us more than enough time to make a well-informed decision.” Sameer Naik
Gauteng MEC for Education visits the Randburg Clinic School to check on school readiness. Image: supplied
Janet Smith, a mom of two, said privilege allows a freedom of choice and flexibility “for which we should be grateful every day that we wake up.
“Privilege means they can go back to school in heated cars, warmly-dressed, well-fed, masked-up and informed. When they get to school, they will be cared for as if they were at home. If anything happens which is contrary to that, we can change our minds because we have choice, which is breathtaking at a time when most people are struggling to simply feed their families.”
For children, their childhood memories of the pandemic “must be reminders of why to be grateful and how to be kind”. Kashiefa Ajam
Stay-at-home mom Yolanda Summers said it’s been the hardest thing to teach her two small children at home.
“They go to the same school which, one would think, would make it easier. But schoolwork has changed. Some schools really don’t mess around with the amount of work they expect 6 and 7-year-old’s to do in a day.
“While I don’t feel 100% confident that I have taught them anything meaningful at home over the last few weeks, I’m terrified sending them back while we are still in the grips of this pandemic.
“I have asthma and am afraid of them passing it onto me. I have no idea where all the other parents have been. Who have they been in contact with? They will not be returning to school. I will lose my mind, but at least my kids and I will be safe.” Kashiefa Ajam
Marlene Pope wants her children, 11 and 8, to return to school.
“We need to return back to some kind of normalisation, especially for our kids. They have struggled not interacting with their teachers and peers. Their time spent learning at home does not have the same impact as they get in the classroom and whether we like it or not, this virus is here to stay.”
Her family’s lives cannot be stopped indefinitely by the pandemic.
“Saying that, I do think strict measures need to be taken to avoid the transfer of the virus in the schools and parents and teachers need to be vigilant in putting these measures in place.
“I have found my kids need to get back on track and life needs to start happening once again. They have understood the severity of this virus and the impact it has had on their little lives.” Sheree Bega
Thandi Nkambule’s* 10-year-old son won’t be returning to school soon.
“The numbers are going so high and soon, we’ll be at 1000 deaths. I just don’t know if it’s safe. There are a lot of implications with being at school. You’ll find one child wearing a nicer masks and then another kid wanting to swop masks with him or her. How do you regulate social distancing because kids are kids? I just don’t see them constantly doing keeping a distance.
“It’s difficult to homeschool your child and to do your job. I really appreciate teachers, they educate our children so well. Until now, we took them for granted.” Sheree Bega
Mariapaola McGurk will be sending her 13-year-old daughter to school when Jeppe High Preparatory opens on Monday.
“We just got a letter from the principal about all the things they are doing for the kids. Kids are being split up into smaller groups, there is going to be sanitisers at the entrance and parents are not allowed to come into the school. I feel confident they’ll be okay.” Shaun Smillie
*Not their real names