Editorial: Bhisho must now show commitment

THE consequences of the northern areas education protests which shut down many Nelson Mandela Bay schools for almost a month are now being felt keenly as principals and teachers try to play catchup.

To their credit, most have initiated intense recovery programmes which will mean extending school hours, Saturday classes and suspending sports schedules.

And while many will question whether this will go far enough to bring things up to speed, it is nevertheless crucial that some steps are taken to recoup the lost time.

With only a month to go before the end of the first quarter, the protests mean that the term has been effectively halved and any action to assist pupils must be fully embraced by pupils, teaching staff and parents – even if it means an added workload and other sacrifices.

But these measures are also telling – and hopefully will open eyes and shake things up in Bhisho.

Ultimately, the recovery work is illustrating an extremely positive response in the wake of how poorly matric classes in the northern areas performed last year – the very reason the shutdown by parents was triggered in the first place because of teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of special needs facilities.

Schools have been galvanised into action because time is of the essence, and many teachers and principals are going the extra mile for their kids.

The protests may have ended in a stand-off between the authorities and those determined to keep the schools closed, but if the effort to make up what was lost does not demonstrate to the Eastern Cape Education Department how committed the northern areas community is to their children’s education, one wonders what will.

The department owes it to these schools to address their grievances as speedily as possible and while it has pleaded for patience, its response should match that of those who are pulling out all stops to assist pupils.

It would indeed be a positive outcome if the crisis facing many aspects of education in the province was to some degree alleviated by the doggedness of those who want nothing more than to improve schooling in the northern areas.