advertisement
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

Some grades could return to school as soon as 6th May

Schools around the country have been closed since lockdown began in earnest on 27th March, but a tentative re-opening date has been announced by the Department of Basic Education.

It is vital that parents, teachers and learners understand that the dates we will outline below are not set in stone and could change depending on guidance from government.

However, we have information now that may be helpful to learners, teachers and parents following a livestream from the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education.

On 4th May, teachers will be able to go back to schools, with learners from Grade 7 to 12 be able to return to school on 6th May. The department says that schools will phase-in re-opening to all learners.

Now, because of the lockdown and the early recess that schools were put into, the schooling calendar for the year is changing dramatically.

The Winter holiday period which is usually the longest break of the year has been shortened to just one week from 29th June to 3rd July. The September Holiday period will be one day and will be attached to a weekend to form a long weekend.

The school calendar for 2020 will close on 9th December. This is a five day extension from the original closing date.

The full list of tentative opening date for all grades follows on below:

High School Primary School Tentative Return Date
Grade 12 Grade 7 6th May
Grade 11 Grade 6 20th May
Grade 10 Grade 5 3rd June
Grade 9 Grade 4 17th June
Grade 8 Grade 3 1st July
Grade 2 8th July
Grade 1 8th July
Grade R 15th July

 

Once again, we must reiterate that these dates may change.

Minister Angie Motshekga and Minister Blade Nzimande will be briefing the media on Thursday, 30th April, regarding the re-opening of schools where hopefully we will have more concrete information.

As regards safety, the department has stated it’s taking precautions to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spreading within schools.

The DBE will provide orientation and training for learners, educators and support staff to prepare them for the special precautions being taken at schools. This training will include how to clean establishments effectively, what to do when somebody tests positive for COVID-19 at a school and more.

Learners will also be required to practice physical distancing, wear cloth face masks at all times and said that no mass events, sport matches or extra curricular activities will be allowed to take place.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

advertisement