School sports may be suspended, but principals beg for an ad hoc strategy

Senior education officials met on Monday to discuss the possibility of suspending school sports due to an increase in Covid-19 infections.

Basic education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said Hedcom (the heads of education departments committee), comprising the director-general, Mathanzima Mweli, his deputy directors-general and the heads of the nine provincial education departments, discussed the matter of contact sports.

“The idea is to make sure schools don’t contribute to infections.”

He confirmed the discussions were prompted by an increase in Covid-19 infections during school sports, adding: “We had been monitoring this since the government gazette of April 23.”

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga gazetted amendments to the directions on the reopening of schools, giving the green light for the resumption of school sports, including contact and non-contact sports, tournaments, physical education and extra-curricular activities.

Mhlanga said the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) would meet about the issue on Wednesday.

“The minister will announce whatever decision CEM takes this week. There is a possibility of a media briefing this week to address all matters regarding Covid-19 and schooling.”

He said consultation sessions with teacher unions, principals associations and school governing body (SGB) associations were also planned.

We believe that there can no longer be justification for a one-size-fits-all approach. There is a strong belief that cases should be dealt with on a regional, provincial or district level, or on merit.

—  Tim Gordon, Association of Public Boys’ Schools of South Africa

Meanwhile, Tim Gordon, head of the Association of Public Boys’ Schools of South Africa, which has 36 member schools, informed Motshekga in a letter on Sunday night that sporting activity must not be suspended indefinitely or across the whole country.

He said Limpopo had less than 300 active cases and that the Western and Eastern Cape had far lower infection rates than most other provinces.

“We believe that there can no longer be justification for a one-size-fits-all approach. There is a strong belief that cases should be dealt with on a regional, provincial or district level, or on merit.”

He told Motshekga that a number of schools were isolating and testing entire sports teams, even when they exhibited zero cross-infection.

“That is why a case by case on merit process must be followed.”

Gordon said provincial trials and practices for national events must be allowed to continue as these were much smaller events and involved limited numbers, which were easier to control.

“National and provincial developmental pipelines for high-level participants must be allowed to continue for post-Covid purposes.”

He said various educational and behavioural issues arise in the “high-testosterone” environments in which boys tend to operate when they are not actively involved in activities such as sport.

“We believe the vast majority of current infections in schools are not arising from sports matches, but rather from social gatherings and weekend activities that have taken place outside of the school environment and school’s control.”

Gordon told Motshekga there was a growing body of educational and medical opinion that believed social, emotional, physical and mental benefits of children attending school and continuing with activities such as sport “outweigh the risk of cocooning them at home”.

It would be harsh to simply just suspend sport again.

—  Basil Manuel, Naptosa

Basil Manuel, executive director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), said: “It would be harsh to simply just suspend sport again. I think we need to look a little more closely at what has happened and who has not been following the rules because we do need to make the people realise that the rules are there to protect the children and themselves.”

A principal of a high school in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, who wished not to be identified, confirmed that he suspended all sporting and extramural activities for six days from last Wednesday after a pupil contracted the virus during sport and another during a funeral.

“We will assess the situation on Wednesday and decide whether to extend it or not by another week.”

Citing concerns about Covid-19 infections, the principal of Hoëskool Linden in Johannesburg, Johan Wiehahn, suspended all sporting and cultural activities on Monday until further notice. In a letter to parents he said several other schools in the surrounding areas had done the same.

The decision was not taken lightly and the safety of pupils, staff and the broader community was the school’s priority, he said.

St John’s College in Johannesburg sent all its Grade 11 and 12 pupils to quarantine at home on May 6 after five pupils from the first, second and third rugby teams tested positive for Covid-19.

The school said it was not clear whether the infections could be traced to sporting activity.