POLITICS

DoE preparations ahead of learners returning to school – DA KZN

Imran Keeka wants urgent briefing regarding measures taken ahead of re-opening of schools

Covid-19: DA calls for urgent PC on DoE preparations ahead of 350 000 KZN learners returning to school

1 May 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will today write to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Education portfolio committee Chairperson, Jomo Sibiya, to request that members be urgently briefed by the province’s Education Department on its preparations for the re-opening of schools. This as educators in the province are set to return on 18 May, followed by an estimated 350 000 learners in Grades 12 and seven at the beginning of June.

This week, the national Education portfolio committee was briefed on arrangements. The DA expects that the same should be done in KZN before learning resumes for these two Grades later this month. While this was due to have taken place during an on-line committee meeting this past Tuesday, regrettably, this was postponed.

Even before the devastating effects of Covid-19 made themselves known, the KZN Department of Education (DoE), under MEC Kwazi Mshengu, had numerous challenges to surmount. The pandemic has only made matters much worse and it is critical that the committee is advised on how the Department is planning to deal with;

· Overcrowding - with some 150 000 Grade 12's and around 200 000 Grade 7's many of KZN’s schools are grossly overcrowded. In some schools there are as many as 114 learners stuffed into a single classroom. This also poses a challenge to the regulations limiting gatherings, opening up the space for other legal challenges

Learner transport – KZN’s programme currently caters for 58 908 learners. It is however estimated that the capacity is for only 42 945 learners, which causes buses to be overloaded by 15 963 more pupils. These numbers do not make for safe physical distancing at all. Then there is the concern regarding cross-border learners. KZN has learners from Zambia, Mozambique and Eswathini in addition to learners from Mpumalanga, Free State and the Eastern Cape. Mass movement of learners using state-provided Learner Transport and private transport poses a big risk in itself

Infrastructure - the DoE still needs many more of the 100 park homes it procured as a result of storm-damaged schools. Added to this is the more than 400 vandalised and severely damaged schools as a direct result of criminals on the loose during lockdown. Whether these schools will be fit for purpose by the time all learners are back at school is anyone’s guess. Yesterday’s national briefing which suggested 40 learners per classroom where there are inadequate preparations is already a matter of grave concern and;

· Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – this will have to be procured for educators, learners and all other staff and must be ready for issue next week. In addition, cloth masks, hand sanitisers, soap, extra desks, chairs and classrooms will also need to be ready for the first batch of approximately 350 000 learners. Despite this, there is no evidence to date of how far KZN has progressed in this regard, if at all. There is also the urgent need to procure screening equipment for learners and staff.

Yesterday’s report to the National Committee also highlighted the challenge of inadequate sanitation at many schools, particularly within KZN. While some 260 water tanks have been donated to the KZN DoE, there are still 4 500 more needed. Then there are the non-negotiable requirements, amongst other which include;

- Sanitation and Hygiene
- The fixing of pit latrines at 1 083 KZN schools
- The imminent need for trained staff to screen learners, staff and educators
- The need for additional staff for cleaning and disinfecting and;
- Additional teaching and substitute posts to cope with over-crowding.

Regrettably, current budget pressures within KZN’s DoE do not suggest that all of this will be possible. Meanwhile, any plan by the DoE without the necessary budgetary considerations will amount to nothing.

The DA’s solution or first step in addressing the budgetary constraints is for the Department and Treasury to identify and make available Subsistence and Travel savings by the provincial Legislature and departmental staff during the lockdown to date and projected over the next few months. This, coupled with utilizing a portion of the provincial contingency reserve is money that could be used to start addressing the challenges being faced. Add to this possible virements from the unutilised NSNP (National School Nutrition Programme) funds during the lockdown as well as the Learner Transport programme, which KZN’s Department of Transport should look into this.

It is critical that MEC Mshengu ensure that all essentials are in place before any learners return to school. The alternative is that he will be responsible for a disaster of epic proportions given the current toxic combination which favours the massive spread of disease.

The DA remains committed to ensuring oversight of this critical area and will do our best to work with government to ensure that our children are educated in a safe and reliable environment. The big question that remains though is whether it is still too early to re-open schools.

Issued by Imran Keeka, DA KZN Spokesperson on Education, 1 May 2020