26 Aug 2020

The South East South Sub-district council says they are experiencing challenges in ensuring that leaners comply with COVID 19 protocols.

The sub-council chairperson, Ms Semakaleng Sebogodi said this during a recent sub-council session in Ramotswa.

Councilor Sebogodi said pupils by their nature needed constant supervision and whenever there was a gap, there would be a risk.

She pointed that the use of masks outside the classroom where there was minimal supervision proved to be a challenge although teachers continued to educate learners about the importance of using masks.

“Social distancing remains a challenge in the absence of teachers since pupils need constant supervision and guidance on avoiding to crowd,” she said. Councilor Sebogodi said usually there would be panic in school community whenever a member was quarantined following contract tracing.

Use of public transport where social distancing was not reinforced, was also cited as a challenge. “I would like to encourage parents to drop their children in schools where possible so as to ease congestion in public transport,” she said.

Further, she said lack of readily available warm water for washing hands was a challenge as water had to be warmed using urns for the benefit of the learners.

Also, councilor Sebogodi told the meeting that the lockdown disrupted syllabus coverage and end of term one examinations.

She added that when the schools resumed, teachers committed themselves to ensuring that work that was behind was covered within a reasonable time before the finals examinations

She said despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the completing pupils; standard sevens, form threes and fives would be ready to sit for their final examinations.

 Councilor Sebogodi also told the meeting that the Ministry of Basic Education had embarked on continuous monitoring of compliance with all COVID-19 protocols.

Still on education, she said vandalism and theft during the previous financial years, had led to classrooms in some schools in dire need of maintenance.

“The council’s electrical division is in the process of maintaining electrical works in the hardest hit schools, as the current budget cannot cover all the schools,” she said. 

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