Pupils might see their October School holiday cancelled to make up for the number of days that they’ve been away from school. According to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), some schools are to start their holiday on October 1, but there are proposals that it might be scrapped as the progression of learners have been heavily interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools reopened at the end of July, which saw also primary school students returning on a full-time basis for the first time since the beginning of 2020. DBE spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga indicated to News24, that this will probably be the right thing to do as children need enough time to learn.
Meanwhile, several teachers unions have already expressed their concerns, stating that they were not informed by the government regarding the changes and the new timetable. However, the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie (SAOU) says that the department has notified them of the following changes, Business Insider reported.
- Five days from 4 to 8 October 2021 must be utilised to compensate for the lost school days.
- The third and fourth terms will be separated by a long weekend by declaring September 23 as a school holiday.
SAOU added that it doesn’t make sense for DBE to insist on a normal ‘200 school days per annum’ despite the harshness of the COVID-19.
Also read:
Cape Winelands ECD training campaign aims to create more job opportunities
Picture: Cape{town} etc gallery