Few schools in Gauteng facing problems with delivery of PPEs - Lesufi

Plans are being rolled out in a bid to safeguard schools against the spread of COVID-19, with measures to ensure screening, sanitising, and social distancing could be implemented.

JOHANNESBURG/DURBAN - Many teachers on Monday returned to schools across the country to prepare for the return of grade 7 and 12 pupils next week.

Plans are being rolled out in a bid to safeguard schools against the spread of COVID-19, with measures to ensure screening, sanitising, and social distancing can be implemented.

In Gauteng, Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said personal protective equipment (PPE) had already been delivered to all senior management and PPEs for teachers was en route.

Lesufi said only a few schools were facing problems.

“There are some schools in Tshwane where teachers had to be turned away because PPEs were yet to be delivered… besides those glitches, we really believe that we might be ready for 1 June,” he said.

Lesufi said his department was monitoring the distribution of PPEs to schools across the province, and was confident schools would be ready when pupils returned to the classroom next week.

He said schools would be given what they needed to safeguard pupils and staff.

“It’s those face cloths... every school will receive 25 litres of sanitiser every day and then after that, we’re giving each school six screening scanners to check their temperatures.”

SCHOOL VANDALISM AND BURGLARIES

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu on Sunday appealed to communities to help law enforcement officials catch criminals involved in vandalising schools.

Four hundred and sixty three schools were vandalised in the province since the start of the lockdown in March.

Mshengu said criminal acts against schools would not end until communities played their part.

“Until communities take it upon themselves to protect schools, we’ll continue to have burglaries in our schools. Until communities stop being a market for stolen property, we’ll continue to have burglaries in our schools,” he said.

So far, seven people were charged in KZN in connection with school vandalism.

Mshengu had previously said they suspected people who wanted to force the department to give them security tenders were behind the attacks.

For official information about COVID-19 from the Department of Health, please click here.