IN QUOTES | Angie Motshekga says there's 'no need for drama' regarding back to school

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga has addressed concerns about children going back to school during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Schools will open on June 1 for grades 7 and 12, as well as some “smaller schools” - of not more than 125 pupils. Other grades will return in a phased approach.

In an interview with 702, Motshekga said there was “no need for drama” and measures have been put in place regarding safety at schools.  

Here are five quotes from the interview:

Screening pupils at school

“This will be managed by people who are trained, they screen, they check the temperature ... we have linked every school to a clinic. If you find a child with a high temperature, we will handle it the way it is handled everywhere else. 

Screening the gate

“Teachers will be teaching. We have community health workers who will be screening at the gate.”

No need for drama

“There should not be any need for drama when it comes to school ... we should not be creating drama saying schools are more at risk of infection.”

Protocols

“There are protocols that have been put into place ... the same procedures that are used everywhere else where there is screening and testing will be applied at school.”

Guiding principles

“Three principles are guiding us ... making sure that schools don’t become centres where the virus can be spread, making sure children don’t get infected in schools, but also enabling them to continue with what is rightfully theirs, the right to education and the right to be taken care of.”