Many parents are reluctant to send their children to school during the pandemic. Image: FILE/ Sandile Ndlovu
Education unions and experts have warned that a lack of state-funded Covid-19 resources at schools will both exacerbate the pandemic and cause 2021 attendance and admissions to drop.
Mongameli Peter, who chairs the Eastern Cape chapter of the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB), warned there was general anxiety and reluctance “to release children to go back to school”.
He said the start of the 2021 academic year would be a very different event compared to the past.
“It can be expected there won’t be the usual excitement and enthusiasm around going back to school.”