SADTU statement on the reopening of schools
14 January 2021
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) notes and welcomes the Department of Basic Education’s decision to delay the opening of schools from the 27th of January and allow the learners on the 15th of February depending on the virus’ behavior during the two-week delay. However, the SADTU does not agree with the call for educators and SMTs to report for duty from the 25th of January. The unions were not consulted. We wonder what informed this decision because teachers are as vulnerable to the pandemic as the learners. This shows the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has no regards for the lives of the workers who are the ones who are infected and overwhelming the hospitals. The National Coronavirus Command Council’s decision was aimed at helping the health system to cope with the crisis our country is facing.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is spitting on this well intended goal to save lives because it is obsessed with mechanical management rather that look at science and evidence that hospitals are not able to admit patients and anyone above 58 years is at risk of not receiving oxygen or ventilator because doctors are forced to ration these life-saving equipments.
The DBE thinks the learners are taught by robots and this obsession that educators are hired to work and they should therefore go to work when the officials have been working from home for the whole of last year is unacceptable.
The decision to delay the opening of schools is based on the advice of scientists and the World Health Organization (WHO) that it would be better to delay the reopening of schools as the increase of the pandemic is at the stage is unprecedented. The numbers must be declining for 14 consecutive days to reopen schools safely. Allowing educators to report for duty a week before learners report to schools would be a justifiable option because we shall have observed for 14 consecutive days, the decline in numbers.