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TUESDAY 11 August 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
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People’s Post
WALK THIS WAY: With Arderne Gardens open again to the public from Wednesday 22 July for exercise-related activities, visitors are flocking to the well-loved public park and arboretum in Claremont. Rose Meny-Gibert, the secretary of Friends of the Arderne Gardens, says although they are happy to welcome people back to the park, there are Covid-19 regulations that need to be respected. As such, the garden is open for exercise and walking only. No sitting, gathering, picnics, weddings or photoshoots are currently allowed. “The security staff will be monitoring the situation. They will ensure that everyone who enters the garden wears a mask properly – covering both the mouth and the nose – and that they practise social distancing,” says Meny-Gibert. PHOTO: NETTALIE VILJOEN
SCHOOLS
‘Locked out’ in lockdown NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
F
our months ago, learners arriving late for school would most likely end up in detention. Now – with Covid-19 operating procedures in place – the same infringement could result in learners missing an entire day of school. At Livingstone High School in Claremont, gates close at 08:30 sharp. Well, that used to be the case until recently when president Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday 23 July that schools had to close for a month due to the Covid-19 infection surge. Just before Ramaphosa’s directive, an allegation surfaced that the school had refused entry to learners who arrived a few minutes after the dedicated screening window had closed. A concerned parent, who asked not to be named to protect the identity of the children involved, claims the school turned
the learners away when they arrived a minute or two after 08:30. “And that while two teachers, who also arrived after the bell rang, were allowed in,” the parent claims. The parent feels that not only is this unfair, it also denies learners their right to an education – especially when you consider that Livingstone High School is a “commuter school” (a school that accommodates learners who do not live in its immediate catchment area). With public transport also hamstrung due to Covid-19 restrictions, it is inevitable that there will be days when some learners arrive late, the parent argues. People’s Post contacted the school for comment but was told the school had sent their response to the area’s WCED circuit manager. According to the school’s deputy principal, Ashley van der Horn, the WCED would share what information it deemed fit. Kerry Mauchline, the spokesperson for the provincial minister of education, Debbie Schäfer, says schools will always try to accommodate learners who arrive late due to
circumstances beyond their control. However, Mauchline says, if there is a case of habitual late arrival, this needs to be dealt with according to the school’s code of conduct subject to the South African Schools Act. “Arriving late not only affects the learning of the latecomer – it disrupts other learners and staff as well. Parents of learners at the school were informed of the difficulties created by late arrivals, and have a responsibility to ensure that their children arrive at school on time,” she says. On whether, if the allegation proves true, it would be fair for teachers to be allowed in while learners weren’t, Mauchline says that staff who arrive late but have alerted their school in advance would not be prevented from teaching. She does add learners may not be “locked outside” and this should not be occurring. The parent suggests the school should have a plan in place to allow for learners to be “quarantined” on the school grounds while they wait to be screened and granted
access to their classes at a later time. People’s Post has been told that Livingstone High School does have an isolation room on the school’s premises where punctual learners are sent to should their temperature exceed 37 °C on their first screening. Here learners are re-screened 15 to 20 minutes later. The parent claims that when the question was raised why late arrivers couldn’t be accommodated in the isolation room as well, the response given was that there wasn’t enough trained staff available to administer screening after 08:30. Media reports do indicate that the number of teachers physically present at schools has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic (News24, “Covid-19: More than 16 000 teachers have comorbidities”, 17 July). Plotting the way forward at Livingstone High School, Mauchline says the principal will discuss the alleged incidents with the teachers. “The parent is encouraged to engage with the school on the matter,” she adds.
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