Dates for phasing in of remaining grades gazetted
Grades will be phased in with the last being at the end of August
The dates when children in grades other than R, 6, 7, 11 and 12 will return to school were gazetted by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga today.
The directive further splits the return of pupils with some learners now set to go back to school as late as August 31.
Motshekga amended the regulations which form part of the Disaster Management Act.
According to reports, the amendments follow a decision by the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), which decided last Thursday that only grades R, 6 and 11 would be returning as of Monday, leaving pupils in grades 1, 2, 3, and 10 to continue their schooling from home.
According to the amended regulations grades 3 and 10 are expected back on July 20, while learners in grades 1 and 2 will return to school a week later on July 27.
Grade 4 and 9 pupils are set to return on August 17.
The final batch of pupils to return to schools will be those in grades 5 and 8 on August 31.
The staggered return is to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 amongst pupils, teachers and staff at schools.
Not all provinces were able to receive pupils on Monday – especially the little ones in Grade R.
The regulations stipulate that a member of the Executive Council responsible for education in a province, who is unable to comply with the phased return of learners and officials to school, must, at least seven days before the date identified for the return of the respective grades, submit a report to the Minister for concurrence or further determination.
The report must include:
1. The reasons for the non-compliance;
2. A plan with the proposed dates for the phased return of learners and officials in the respective grades.”
Motshekga also mentioned in a recent briefing that provinces that were not ready to accept Grade Rs on July 6 had until the end of July to accommodate them.
