30 Aug 2020

Decongesting classrooms and hostels to adhere to a social distancing protocol has a negative bearing on certain operations within schools.

Mahalapye Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Banthasetse Merementsi, said this when delivering a speech during a sub-district council meeting recently.

He said shortage of teachers, furniture and text books were some of the challenges  facing schools across Mahalapye Sub-district.

“The social distancing COVID-19 protocol has resulted in shortage of classrooms and to address this, schools have redesigned their timetables to introduce shifting. At the hostels, decongestion has been achieved through the use of bunk beds, as well as maintenance of vandalised dormitories,” he said.

In Mahalapye East and Mahalapye West constituencies, the sub-district council chairperson said 13 primary schools were shifting, whilst for secondary, only Mowana Junior Secondary School was shifting.

In Sefhare sub-region, he said seven out of 17 primary schools and three out of five secondary schools were shifting, adding that this translated to 41 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.

To alleviate effects of shifting, Mr Merementsi stated that pavilions, halls and libraries had been utilised as alternative spaces.

Furthermore, the sub-council chairperson said the class range at primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools stood at 13 to 40, 24 to 45 and 27 to 43, respectively.

This, he said, had resulted in acute shortage of students’ furniture.

He said shortage of furniture had compromised on the quality of instruction, particularly in primary schools sinces learners no longer shared as it was in the old normal.

Mr Merementsi indicated for instance that the new normal had culminated in a shortfall of 4 722 chairs and 9 462 desks at primary schools, 773 chairs and 2 442 desks at junior secondary schools.

However, he said there were adequate supply of chairs at senior secondary schools, whilst desks shortage stood at 350 throughout Mahalapye sub-district.

To alleviate this challenge, he said the council had resorted to repair broken furniture.

Although adherence to the social distancing measure was critical to curb spread of coronavirus in schools, Mr Merementsi said it had also created teaching vacancies.

He said 78 temporary teachers were needed at primary level whereas 30 were needed at secondary.

So far the region had appointed 90 temporary teachers to fill up the vacancies.

“Of these 90 temporary teachers who have already resumed duty, 68 were appointed at primary, 22 at secondary schools, whilst 18 were yet to be appointed,” he said.

Mr Merementsi had attributed the slow process to fill-up the vacancies to the inadequate pool of teachers to recruit from, as a lot of teachers were needed nationally.

Moreover, the Sub- Council chairperson said the Ministry of Basic Education (MOBE) had also engaged 52 temporary Safety Health and Environmental Officers (SHE) for all schools within the sub-district on a three-month contract, as well as 12 Internship Officers to assist the SHE officers.

The sub-district had also engaged a total of 576 COVID cleaners in schools through the Ipelegeng programme to help with frequent cleaning as per the new normal health protocols.

“Of these 576 cleaners, he said 190 were for secondary schools, whilst 386 were for primary schools,” he said. Ends