Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu wants all pupils to be back in school by the end of this month and has cautioned that anyone attempting to disrupt schooling for any reason would have to face the consequences.
“That has impacted on them severely both in terms of academic progress and development as children. Unfortunately, it was a situation where we could not do anything but comply with the lockdown,” said Mshengu. “We can’t keep the pupils and the teachers safe if they are all brought back on one day, and that’s why they will be in schools on different days. By the end of this month, every child will have a day in school where they can continue to learn,” he said.
He urged communities that are fighting for water, eradication of pit latrines at school and other issues not to disrupt schooling. “We hope the MEC has a plan in place as the department is way behind on so many things, they have not appointed substitute teachers for those with comorbidities and have not procured mobile classes to accommodate all these pupils,” he said.