Schools will not be closing: education department debunks rumour

26 May 2021 - 09:53 By TimesLIVE
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Schools will not be closing, the department says.
Schools will not be closing, the department says.
Image: Eugene Coetzee

The department of basic education has hit out at a manipulated image being shared on social media purporting to be an announcement from minister Angie Motshekga.

The false announcement asserts that schools will close from Wednesday, May 26 and reopen on June 28.

“This type of malicious content is created with the express intent to cause confusion and mislead the public. We condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.

“The department will use credible media platforms to communicate, should there be developments in the sector,” it said.

SA is seeing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, with the cabinet set to meet on Wednesday to discuss recommendations from the national coronavirus command centre on how to address the virus threat.

Earlier this month, contact sports at schools were suspended.

The closure of schools at the height of the pandemic last year had a dramatic effect on many pupils.

A recent report by the National Income Dynamics Study — Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (Nids-Cram) — showed that SA’s primary schoolchildren who attended no-fee schools last year learnt from 50% to 75% less than they normally do.

TimesLIVE


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