KZN school functionality inspections raise concerns around learner safety during pandemic
18 February 2021
Oversight inspections of schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), conducted by the Democratic Alliance (DA) during the past two days as part of a provincial Legislature initiative, as well as for a further two days individually, have revealed schools that are still not properly prepared in terms of Covid-19 regulations, amid other serious issues.
The oversights come a week after the national Education portfolio committee visited KZN to conduct their own inspections, leading to a call by the DA to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to get its house in order and ensure that schools safely reopen for learners on the 15th of February.
It is clear that this message did not filter down to KZN’s Department of Education (DoE), with the result that the DA has serious concerns around whether the Department was ready to begin the 2021 school calendar. This is evidenced by the following findings.
- At Dlangani High School in the Harry Gwala District, the DA discovered that only 42 masks had been received for 694 learners. The supplier meanwhile informed the Deputy Principal that the masks delivered were for educators only and that he had delivered them ‘because some people are coming to check on the school’. The same school is also short of six classrooms which is affecting Grades 8,9 and 10 teaching and learning, even with the platooning system in place.