Parents, teachers protest reopening of South African schools

Students sit in their classroom at the City Kidz Pre & Primary School in the Inner City district in Johannesburg on June 1, 2020 as classes resume. South Africa moved into level three of a five-tier lockdown on June 1, 2020, to continue efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. PHOTO | MARCO LONGARI | AFP 

In Summary

• The plan by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s team had been to recall students in the last years of high school and junior school, and then gradually allow students in other grades to resume their studies.

By CHRIS ERASMUS
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The reopening of South African schools on Monday was met with protest, as parents, teachers and schools’ bodies said the institutions were unprepared to take back students.

In some places, parents arrived with placards outside their school gates, expressing concern about the rush to get children back into classes before it could be “safely” done.

School reopening has now been postponed to June 8. A group of people take part in a protest outside a school in Bishop Lavis, to protest against the South African government's decision to open some schools, in Cape Town on June 1, 2020. PHOTO | RODGER BOSCH | AFP

President Cyril Ramaphosa had earlier announced a gradual reopening of the economy from June 1, with schools and businesses reopening.

The plan had been to recall students in the last years of high school and junior school on June 1, and then gradually allow students in other grades to resume their studies.

But after a weekend of numerous charged meetings with parents’ representatives, teachers’ bodies and school governing body representatives, Education Minister Angie Motshekga admitted in a press conference that many schools were not ready to take back students on June 1, as she had promised they would be. A woman holds up a placard as a small group of people take part in a protest outside a school in Bishop Lavis, to protest against the South African government's decision to open some schools, in Cape Town on June 1, 2020. PHOTO | RODGER BOSCH | AFP

It has been “too risky” to allow a return to schoolrooms as planned, she said, announcing the one-week postponement of school reopening.

Her weekend consultations had revealed that schools were between 80 percent to 96 percent ready.

Others educational institutions, mainly independent schools which operate in parallel with state schools but are largely funded by wealthier parents, were ready and did open on Monday.

A pupil at the City Kidz Pre & Primary School in the Inner City district in Johannesburg has his temperature measured as he enters the school premises on June 1, 2020. PHOTO | MARCO LONGARI | AFP

But most of South Africa’s 26,000 school remained closed – except in the Western Cape region, which faced a court challenge.

Meanwhile, many reopened small businesses were dealing with the reality of screening all staff, deep cleaning premises, and convincing customers that they would be safe in their establishments.