Many Eastern Cape schools not ready to reopen - national SGB association

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Many of the Eastern Cape's 5 000 schools are not ready to reopen on Monday because they have not received adequate personal protective equipment, the provincial chairperson of the National Association of School Governing Bodies said on Friday.

This comes as pressure mounts on Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to reconsider her decision to reopen the schools over fears related to education centres' readiness to deal with the rapid spread of Covid-19.

The South African Human Rights Commission also announced in a press statement on Thursday that it had written to Motshekga to persuade her to reconsider her decision.

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Eastern Cape chairperson of the National Association of SGBs, Mongameli Peter, said thousands of schools in Nelson Mandela Bay, in the Karoo district up to the former Transkei, are without protective kits.

"Many schools in and around Uitenage, Butterworth and in former Transkei have no PPEs. I don't agree with children going back to school because we are not happy about the safety measures. No schools have been sanitised and received protective equipment in and around Cradock as well. No consultation between the SGB and principals about the hiring of people to assist at schools to help kids."