Gauteng schools ready to reopen on Monday

 By: Surprise Golela

Provided

Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi says schools in Gauteng are ready to welcome learners on Monday, 15 February 2021. Lesufi said this during a media briefing by the Gauteng Coronavirus Command Council on Friday.

Lesufi said they have engaged with all the education stakeholders in the province and they have agreed that schools are indeed ready to reopen on Monday.

“We met with all the stakeholders in the province, principals, teachers’ unions, SGB, learner formations and they have all given us the green light to reopen schools on Monday so that we can start the 2021 academic year,” said Lesufi.

Lesufi says one of the crucial points in dealing with the issue of reopening of schools is the issue of admissions.

“We received a total of 222 275 new applications for grade 1 and 8, and we have already managed to place about 219 871 learners from those who applied which means we are only left with 2 404 that we need to place in our schools,” said Lesufi.

He says by next week all those who have not yet been placed will be placed as they have ordered more mobile classrooms to accommodate them.

Lesufi says all the Covid-19 essentials have been delivered to all the schools across the province.

“We have finished the delivery of textbooks and stationery to all the schools in the province, there is no single school that has been declared section 20 school that does not have this material,’ he said.

Lesufi says all transport that transport learners must adhere to all health and safety protocols. “Each and every transport will have a sanitiser, ensure that there is social distancing and also make sure there is no overloading,” he said.

Lesufi has thanked the class of 2020 for their dedication. He says they are hopeful that when the minister announces the results in two weeks parents and learners will be proud.