Gauteng teachers get back to school to find no PPE

School staff reporting for duty in Gauteng on Monday did so without the required personal protective equipment, because the education department only started deliveries this week.

This affected principals, school management teams (SMTs), education assistants, general assistants and non-teaching staff. Teachers are only starting on February 1, and pupils on February 15, according to amended rules published by the education department.

According to a Covid-19 progress and school readiness report, the department was expected to start distributing PPE to schools from January 25 to February 3. Each school was set to receive 2.5l of hand sanitiser per class and 50l of liquid soap. Teachers were expected to receive two face shields and a mask each, while grade R to 8 pupils were to be provided with two masks and grade 9 to 12 pupils with one mask each.

Departmental spokesperson Steve Mabona, said the delay was with the health department: “Since May 2020, the health department appointed eight service providers and the education department was responsible for the delivery of PPE to schools. Because the function of the procurement of PPE was initially handled on our behalf by the department of health, our finance team is updating information and it will be available as soon as this task is concluded.”

This comes as Gauteng education revealed it had spent about R431m on decontamination, disinfection, deep cleaning and sanitisation of schools and offices.

Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi said he was shocked his department had spent so much on these materials..

Lesufi said he was consulting with relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the process, including requesting the auditor-general to check and verify if there was value for money.

The province has 1,396 primary schools, 616 secondary schools, 65 combined schools and 128 special schools.

The Covid-19 progress report shows almost a third of Gauteng section 21.1C schools have not received their textbooks and stationery, two weeks before schools reopen in the province. Section 21.1C schools manage their own procurement of the learner teacher school material (LTSM).

The report tabled at a virtual education portfolio committee meeting on Friday shows 538 section 21.1C schools in the province haven’t received their textbooks while 552 are still awaiting stationery delivery.

Just over 56% of workbooks have been delivered.

The report further states a total of 9,736 pupils were still unplaced and needed to be accommodated in schools.

The highest number of unplaced applicants is in the Johannesburg region.

“These additional learners will be accommodated in alternative spaces, such as school halls, while classrooms are being built,” the report states.

Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke, expressed concern over the situation: “We have a week to ensure the school management teams are able to monitor, take stock and audit.

Governing Body Foundation CEO Anthea Cereseto, confirmed some school management teams in Gauteng started work without the required PPE, adding there were schools still waiting for textbooks and stationery.

National Association of School Governing Bodies general secretary Matakanya Matakanye, said the safety of staff was in the hands of the department, which should ensure there was enough PPE and running water.

“These delays mean delay of quality of learning and teaching ... this then results in poor results at the end of the year, and that means learner dropouts,” Matakanye said.

Progressive Principals’ Association chairperson Faiq Salie welcomed the return of staff, and said schools should by now have all their management plans in place for the academic year.

In a statement National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa) said though teachers’ unions and organisations were consulted on the delayed reopening of schools, they were not consulted on the department’s decision on the return of SMTs and teachers.

Gauteng portfolio committee on education chairperson Matome Chiloane urged law enforcement agencies to investigate the alleged wasteful and irregular expenditure amounting to R431m by the Gauteng education department.

“The allegations are serious and no stone should be left unturned, hence we called upon an independent investigation agencies such as the SIU to look thoroughly into the matter,” Chiloane said.

Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona blamed the delay in stationery and textbooks on Covid-19.

“In March 2020 the country was put on a hard lockdown. This affected the procurement of LTSM, which normally starts in April. Officials only returned to schools in June, meaning there was a delay of three months in our normal procurement cycle. This resulted in a negative effect on the delivery of textbooks and stationery,” Mabona said.

“With all the above challenges, the department has worked together with suppliers around the clock to mitigate the effect of the lockdown regulations on the education sector.”