26 July 2021
The ANC Parliamentary Caucus Study Group on Basic Education welcomes the readiness of the department on the reopening of schools under Adjusted Alert Level 3.
We commend the vaccination rollout for teachers which was successful resulting in the majority of teachers being vaccinated. We welcome this measure by government as it creates a conducive environment for continued teaching and learning in our schools.
The Department of Basic Education has responded with agility during this period of the pandemic. Our guardians, communities and sector stakeholders have provided support for learners and we recognise these efforts for their actions enable our schools to continue with teaching.
The Study Group is gravely concerned with the fact that criminals continue to target our schools which play a significant societal role of educating our children. The recent acts of violence, looting and destruction of property in KwaZulu-Natal have resulted in 126 schools and 11 offices of the department getting vandalised. In Gauteng since the June school closure, 19 cases of school vandalism have been reported.
Since the beginning of the lockdown in 2020, 1882 schools have been vandalised. Such vandalism delays the closing of the school infrastructure backlog as it creates an expenditure that is not part of the budget.
We applaud communities and civil society for playing a role in protecting our schools from vandalism during the period of the unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. These efforts have protected our school infrastructure from being vandalised.
The racial tensions in some areas in KwaZulu-Natal require constant dialogue amongst all citizens to forge unity in our diversity. The demon of racism in our society should be obliterated wherever it rears its head.
We therefore call our communities to strengthen and support organs of people’s power such as Community Policing Forums and other community structures to work in unison with School Governing Bodies in creating a conducive environment for learning and to protect school facilities.
As Members of Parliament, we reiterate our commitment to do oversight and assist schools in the Back to School Campaign as part of our focus areas during the Constituency Period.
We urge law enforcement agencies to arrest criminals who are reversing the gains of our development and constitutional democracy.
Issued by the Whip of the Study Group on Basic Education, Cde Nombuyiselo Adoons
Enquiries:
Nombuyiselo Adoons
Whip of Study Group on Basic Education
072 661 5765
Nomfanelo Kota
Acting Caucus Spokesperson
067 415 1089
Email: n.kota@parliament.gov.za
nomfanelok17@yahoo.com