Motherwell parents, governing bodies worried about opening of schools

School governing body  members and  parents from at least 10 schools in Motherwell  gathered at the Nelson Mandela Peace Park on Thursday morning to discuss if schools in the area should be closed.

Mfesane High School  governing body chair  Siphiwo Dayimani  said the department of education was not prepared to welcome pupils back any time soon as teachers were falling sick and several schools in the area  were yet to receive personal protective equipment. .

Dayimani said some of the governing body  members who were present were from Mfesane, Vezokuhle, Mboniselo, Zanoxolo, Mbasa, Ixoselenani and Cingani high schools.

 “We [are] saying that the schools must not be opened until  Covid-19 has passed,” Dayimani said.

“The president announced that the rate of infection is about to increase within these two months.”

According to a memorandum which will be handed over to the department, at least 10 schools in Motherwell have closed due to teachers or pupils being infected with Covid-19.

The group demanded that the department of education close schools until proper sanitation  was done and personal protective equipment was supplied for pupils and cooking staff.

The memorandum also requested an urgent response from the department in relation to the demands, and failure to do so by Friday afternoon would see the group take the “next step”, which according to Dayimani would be the closure of schools in the area.

EFF member Msindisi Makeleni, who is part of the party’s health portfolio in the  Nelson Mandela Bay region, said they supported what the governing bodies  were saying and they also wanted schools to be closed.

He claimed that, based on their assessments, there were more parents  saying schools should be closed than those who  wanted them  to be open.

Vezubuhle Primary School governing body member Asanda Ngubelanga   said she knew of at least five schools that had closed in the past four weeks due to Covid-19 in the area.

“Our schools don’t have enough personal protective equipment, they don’t have proper infrastructure or enough classes.

“Our schools are losing teachers, our schools are closing twice or three times. As school governing bodies we are saying schools must be closed. They can’t open schools on July 20.

“The department of education is advised by the department of health. Until they can meet the demands in the memorandum that we handed to the district office of the department of education, the schools should remain closed.”

He said parents were not going to send their children to school.

Despite numerous attempts — including calls, texts and WhatsApp messages — to obtain comment from department spokespersons Loyiso Pulumani and Vuyiseka Mboxela as well as district director Ernest Gorgonzola, nothing was forthcoming by the time of going to print.