While the lockdown rules are likely to be extended, schools are still set to open as initially planned.

This is according to the Department of Basic Education Spokesman Elijah Mhlanga who said the department has received advice from the Ministerial Advisory Committee that schools should still open on 19 July.

With the increase in Covid-19 infections across the country, there have been calls for the department not to open schools on 19 July.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Sunday that a total of 22 117 tests were conducted over the last 24 hours with 21 610 new cases. According to the institute, this represents a 28% positivity rate. The institute also added that a further 265 people have died from Covid-19 related deaths brining the total fatalities in the country to 64 138.

It is because of this trajectory that President Cyril Ramaphosa on 27 June moved South Africa to an adjusted alert level 4 lock down in an effort to curb the spread of the third wave of Covid-19 and reduce the burden on healthcare facilities. According to the president, evidence indicates that the Delta variant is driving a severe third wave in South Africa and the country continues to have the highest Covid-19 burden in Africa.

READ: BREAKING: Schools to shut down from Wednesday

Ramaphosa said the regulations also meant that schools were once again forced to shut down from 30 June. He said the winter holidays will be moved forward in an attempt to reduce the impact of this lockdown on the studies of young South Africans.

Ramaphosa said he would address the nation again after the two weeks to formulate a way forward.

According to experts, the president is unlikely to move South Africa away from level 4 lockdown even as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country remain high.

The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will meet today, on Sunday, to assess developments in the Covid-19 pandemic and the national response to this challenge.

The NCCC meeting will be followed by meetings of the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet.

These meetings come two weeks after Ramaphosa moved the country to Alert Level 4 to curb the spread of the virus.

The new level 4 lockdown regulations include a curfew between 21:00 to 04:00, a ban on alcohol sales, restrictions on gatherings, and closing schools by bringing holidays forward.

Schools are currently expected to reopen on 19 July in accordance with an announcement by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.

READ: It will be “devastating” if schools don’t open on 19 July – says Motshekga

However, it is unclear how schools will be affected by a possible extension of the current adjusted level 4 national lockdown.

Chief Economist at the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University Hugo Pienaar said the current lockdown will be extended.

Pienaar said the seven-day rolling average has risen since Ramaphosa first moved the country to an adjusted level 4 lockdown, meaning it would be difficult to justify a reduction in the lockdown level.

 But the department says it cannot afford to lose another school year.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said it will be devastating if the country’s schools are not allowed to reopen on 19 July as planned.

Motshekga said the education sector has already lost significant time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which will have long-term ramifications.

She said her department plans to open on 19 July as gazetted but, “we will not be irresponsible if there are still difficulties by the time we want to open and bring more learners”.

Mhlanga said the call for schools not to open is an irresponsible call.

READ: Unions welcome the closure of schools

“Even last year they said close schools but when we opened schools, parents took their children to schools.

“This is a call by few people, and it is funny that it is always the minority group that makes such calls that schools must be closed down,” said Mhlanga.

Adding that, “when we prepare to open schools, those people are not there to offer their ideas.

“They are all about saying ‘close’, but they do not tell you how to open; they don’t even contribute in that regard,” said Mhlanga.

The minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, said educators and other staff in her sector “really need to overcome hesitancy”.

Motshekga was briefing media at the Gallagher Estate vaccination site in Midrand on Thursday.

Motshekga said her department has received reports from its social partners who have indicated that some educators and support staff members are refusing to get the vaccine on the basis of their religious beliefs.

“At the start of the programme we saw many religious [leaders] come forward to receive the vaccine.

“Let me say this, there are myths about the vaccines that we also need to address in our communities.

“All vaccines used in South Africa have been tested and approved by SAHPRA [South African Health Products Regulatory Authority] – an entity of the National Department of Health created by government with the responsibility to regulate health products in the country.

“Getting the vaccine will protect you from severe illness, hospitalization and death from Covid-19,” said the minister.

Inside Education reported on Wednesday that the national department of basic education said all teachers must report to work on July 19 already vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have chosen not to be vaccinated will be required to provide an explanation of the steps they will take to protect themselves, as well as learners and other colleagues teachers in the workplace.

READ: Teachers who refuse to be vaccinated are a threat – DBE

Basic Education Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department was still discussing the next steps regarding educators who have refused vaccination, as working from home and listing medical conditions is not an option.

This came after reports that 9113 educators and support staff in Gauteng province refused to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

Reports also stated that other educators from the Western Cape province also said they would not be participating in the vaccination drive due to vaccine safety concerns,  religion reasons and pregnancy as reasons.

Motshekga said as a department, they respect an individual’s right not to be vaccinated.

“… especially in those cases where people have indicated that they are not willing to get vaccinated. However, we would like to appeal to all our personnel to get the vaccine,” she said.

She added that the learning losses are getting worse daily and the impact on the system will indeed affect negatively in the future.

“We will need to work together to ensure that we get vaccinated and indeed continue to comply with the health and safety protocols relevant to Level 4 of the risk adjusted strategy,” she said.

When schools reopen, we will expect all our teachers, including those with comorbidities, to return to work.

READ: DBE to be taken to court for failing to provide meals to learners

According to the department of basic education, around 16,000 teachers have been on special leave because they have comorbidities.

Motshekga said the department has discussed this matter with the teacher unions, and all five of the unions that are part of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) are in full support of this position.

“There will be no need for the DBE to develop any additional policies during this period, because it already has sufficient policies in place to address the current situation of the pandemic; and while the vaccination process is being implemented.

“The Department of Basic Education has requested that a Special ELRC meeting be convened on Friday, 09 July 2021, to discuss a proposal in the form of a draft collective agreement.

“This draft collective agreement aims to guide the operational requirements for educators employed in terms of the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (Act No. 76 of 1998), following the implementation of the Basic Education Sector Covid-19 vaccination programme,” said Motshekga.

Motshekga said it is for that reason that her department makes the appeal to everybody in the education sector to ensure that they please get vaccinated, “so we can focus on the task of stabilising schooling.

“We really need to overcome hesitancy,” she said.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has asked the Department of Health to give the education sector an extension “in order to mop-up the outstanding vaccinations”.

Speaking to media on Thursday, Motshekga said about 400 000 people in the sector have been vaccinated but the numbers have increased.

“We initially targeted 582,000 people in the sector but we have now loaded 789,554 including food handlers, janitors, and support staff from independent schools and ECD centres located within school premises on the on the Electronic Vaccination Data System,” said the minister.

Adding that the department wants to use the time to conclude the programme properly in the sector accommodate those excluded on terms of the criteria outlined by the Department of Health.

“These include individuals who recently tested positive for Covid-19 and those who took the flu vaccine,” she said. These individuals were excluded from the initial vaccination drive.

READ: Higher Education and Training sector vaccination programme to start

Motshekga said the Department of Health has offered additional doses that the basic education will use to vaccinate other people in the sector, who were initially not included.

The vaccination programme in the basic education sector started on 23 June. According to the department, the education sector was initially allocated 300 000 doses to be administered over a period of 10-days.

“In the past two weeks we have visited different provinces, where we monitored the progress of the vaccination programme.

“We did so because we appreciate the fact that we were prioritised and we really wanted everybody who qualifies to be vaccinated,” said Motshekga.

She said getting the vaccine will protect those in the education sector from severe illness, hospitalization and death from Covid-19.

“When you are vaccinated, your immune system will recognize the virus quickly when you get infected with Covid-19 and prevents you from being severely ill or dying,” she said.

READ: DBE Covid-19 provincial vaccine rollout campaign

However, there remains challenges.

The minister said there continues to be discrepancies between people who are submitted and those who appear on the Electronic Vaccination Data System.

“Nationally, names appear on the database but there is a problem at the sites when people get there to get their vaccinated,” said Motshekga.

She added that her department has received reports of people having been turned away and some do not return as a result because they travel long distances to reach the sites.

She said another issue that has come to the department’s attention is that provinces have informed educators in independent schools and School-Governing-Body-appointed personnel not to go to sites until they are sure that they appear on the Electronic Vaccination Data System.

“This has slowed down the number of people turning up at the sites in this category,” she said.

Education activists and school governing bodies have returned to court to fight for school meals for learners.

In a joint statement released by Equal Education (EE) and the school governing bodies (SGBs) of two Limpopo schools, represented by SECTION27 and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), the group said they are returning to court against the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and provincial education departments for failing to rollout the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to every single eligible learner in South Africa, for over a year.

Julia Chaskalson, SECTION27 Communications Officer said we are asking for a new court order that declares that education officials have not met their constitutional obligations to provide daily meals to all qualifying learners.

 Chaskalson added that the DBE and the provincial departments have not fulfilled the requirement to submit plans and monitoring reports, as ordered by the courts in July 2020.

“The education MECs and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga should give the court reasons why they shouldn’t be fined or sent to jail for being in contempt of the court order.

“We are asking the court to order the national and provincial education departments to file new, revised plans to deliver the NSNP, that take into account the continued challenges posed by Covid-19,” said Chaskalson.

READ: 1.5 million learners have not yet received their food from the school mandated programmes

Jay-Dee Cyster, Equal Education Communications Officer said we are asking the court to order that these new plans be filed within a month, and that the education departments file monthly updates on implementing the new solutions with the court, until the court says they can stop doing so. 

According to Equal Education and SECTION27, the High Court of South Africa Gauteng Division ordered that Motshekga and the education MECs for eight provinces roll out the NSNP to all qualifying learners – regardless of whether learners had physically returned to school or not.

The two organisations said yet a full year later, education officials have failed to develop practical or realistic plans for the NSNP which address the new realities of schooling during Covid-19, and many vulnerable learners are missing out on daily school meals.

“Many provincial education departments have also stopped submitting the monitoring reports that the court ordered them to compile.

“After trying to resolve these problems directly with national and provincial education departments through letters and submissions, we are now going back to court to demand that they comply with the June 2020 court order,” said Cyster.

Meanwhile, the Free State Department of Education on Wednesday made calls all on principals in the province to roll-out school nutrition programme to all qualifying learners.

Spokesperson for the Free State Department of Education Howard Ndaba said schools in the Free State have been requested to develop differentiated school specific feeding plans.

“Learners who are not at school are requested to come to school with containers to collect their meals

“These learners will be expected to leave the school premises as soon as they receive their meals and are encouraged to go straight home,” said Ndaba.

In her media briefing on the sector’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Motshekga said schools will make the necessary arrangements to continue to provide feeding to those learners who are beneficiaries of the NSNP.

But this has not happened, said Equal Education and SECTION27.

Chaskalson said according to SECTION27’s recent survey of school officials and parents, the organisation found that of the 53 schools surveyed, 49% (26 schools) said that not all learners receive meals on the days they are not at school due to rotational timetables.

“The situation was particularly bad in Limpopo, where 13 of the 22 schools surveyed said that learners don’t receive meals on days that they are at home,” she said.

Adding that of the 43 parents and caregivers that we asked about whether their children receive NSNP meals on days that they do not attend school, 74% – 32 parents and caregivers said that their children do not receive these meals.

Only 10 parents, 23%, reported that their children do.

READ: Over 2 Million Learners Still Not Receiving Food From Basic Education Department, Says Equal Education

“It is clear that this is a problem in each of the provinces surveyed, with at least half of all parents and caregivers in each province saying that their children do not receive meals when they are at home.

“Parents and caregivers spoke of the physical and emotional stress of learners not getting meals, especially when breadwinners have lost their income due to lockdown. Not having food hurts children’s ability to learn,” said Chaskalson.

She added that the two organisations have asked for an urgent court hearing date against the DBE within the month.

Students’ representative councils (SRCs) at universities across the country have distanced themselves from claims made by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) that they have raised concerns that positive Covid-19 cases could continue to rise if residences remain open.

The South African Union of Students (SAUS) said the SABC “erroneously made misleading claims” that SRCs raised concerns about the 19 covid-19 positive cases could continue to rise if residences remained open.

SAUS President Lubabalo Ndzoyiya said SAUS – as a union and body representing all SRCs across all universities in the country – we “want to categorically denounce such utterances from the SABC as untrue and misleading, in the same light we want to staunchly condemn this mischievous and propagandist stunt by the national broadcaster.”

“As a union, we maintain, that no student should be evicted and sent back home whilst the academic year is in process.

“In the event of implementation of harder lockdowns, we still maintain that students who were residing in residences when the tighter restrictions were implemented, must be allowed to carry on residing in residences,” said Ndzoyiya.

Adding that the union’s call and stance is echoed by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, in his previous address who said “residences will remain open, as it is also not safe for students to travel back home at this time and it is necessary for students to retain access to campus and residence-based WIFI”.

READ: Nzimande on post school education and training institutions plans on the Covid-19 adjusted level 4 lockdown

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country has been moved to Adjusted Alert Level 4 following the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading quickly across the country.

The announcement has direct for the teaching and learning programme, and assessments in particular.

At the time, Nzimande said that in terms of the Adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown, the universities do not officially close but all face-to-face teaching and examinations must halt for the next two-week period.

He said during this period, learning will shift exclusively to online learning for all students.

Even though the minister said university residences would remain open, he said universities need to continue to manage residences according to the necessary health and safety protocols, as outlined in the directions and in line with protocols developed by higher health.

Ndzoyiya said SAUS has been in contact with SRCs across the country in efforts the determine the veracity of these claims by the SABC.

“They [SRCs] have distanced themselves and claiming no knowledge of the above by the broadcaster. We therefore cannot accurately decipher what could have been the objective behind this malevolent act which propagated not only confusion amongst our students but even our parents,” he said.

READ: BREAKING: Schools to shut down from Wednesday

Wits SRC has also distanced itself from the report.

“The Wits SRC would like to distance itself from this stance. Our students are not moving, they will occupy the residences. We are not a part of this. This is nonsense,” said the council.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) SRC also distanced itself from the SABC report.

“Our students in UKZN are not going anywhere and will occupy residences until they have fully exhausted all residence fees that they charged,” said UKZN student leader Moses Nkambako.

Tshwane University of Technology as well as the Mangosuthu University of Technology *MUT) have also distanced themselves from the claims.

“MUT SRC would like to distance itself from the statement of SABC news. We form absolutely no part of the SRCs mentioned and we are not at any point advocating for evacuation of residences,” said the MUT SRC.

All teachers must report to work on July 19 already vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have chosen not to be vaccinated will be required to provide an explanation of the steps they will take to protect themselves, as well as learners and other colleagues teachers in the workplace.

This is according to Department of Basic Education Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.

Mhlanga said the department was still discussing the next steps regarding educators who have refused vaccination, as working from home and listing medical conditions is not an option.

“Teachers will have to report to work. They would have had the opportunity to protect themselves against the virus,” he said.

The Department for Basic Education’s vaccination rollout plan has been in full swing, with more than 333 000 teachers and support staff vaccinated since June 23. The rollout plan is expected to continue until July 8.

On Sunday, Inside Education reported that 9113 educators and support staff in Gauteng province refused to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

READ: “Fake news” reason some educators refuse vaccination – Lesufi

Other educators from the Western Cape province also said they would not be participating in the vaccination drive due to vaccine safety concerns.

Others listed religion and pregnancy as reasons.

Several Rastafarian teachers also indicated that due to religious beliefs they would not be taking the vaccine.

According to Human Rights Lawyers, the rights that Covid vaccination objectors assert are the rights to freedom of religion, belief, culture and conscience.

“Vaccination objectors also assert the right to bodily integrity, including the right not to be experimented on,” said Tanya Calitz, Tanya Calitz is a lawyer at an international law firm in South Africa and human rights activist.

Calitz said the question that arises is whether receiving the vaccine can be legally mandated.

“At this stage, it is uncertain whether government can and will enact legislation or other governmental measures in order to compel Covid-19 vaccinations.

“But when and as the roll-out plan progresses, it is important to assess this question in light of constitutional rights and ethos enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa,” said Calitz.

Adding that without adequate legislation which mandates compulsory immunisation of the South African population against Covid-19, the country could be placed at serious risk of further transmission, and the number of deaths could spike again

“Compulsory immunisation must be considered alongside employment legislation and regulations such as the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995; the Occupational Health and Safety Act 95 of 1993; the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998; and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 where employers may introduce mandatory vaccine policies in the workplace, which some employees may reject.

“In some circumstances, the rejection of mandatory vaccinations in the workplace can constitute constructive dismissal,” said Calitz.

South Africa is right in the middle of the Covid-19 third wave and is expected to hit its peak with the new Delta variant.

READ: BREAKING: Schools to shut down from Wednesday

Both the Education Department of Gauteng and the DBE have expressed concerns regarding educators who have opted not to vaccinate as all teachers are expected to report for duty on July 19.

MEC for Gauteng Education Panyaza Lesufi said: “It needs to be noted that the reluctance to vaccinate is a threat to the government’s efforts to normalise schooling during this disruptive pandemic.

“This effectively threatens the academic year in its entirety,” said Lesufi.

Mhlanga said the Basic Education sector is aware of hesitancy surrounding the Covid-19 vaccines.

“The sector is working closely with teacher unions, SGBs and other stakeholders to address it.

“Fake news and conspiracy theories are part of all vaccination programmes – always listen to the experts and the scientists. We are engaging experts and leaders of the faith-based groups to address vaccine hesitancy in the sector,” said Mhlanga.

READ: It will be “devastating” if schools don’t open on 19 July – says Motshekga

Naptosa’s Basil Manuel said his union will certainly not support any action taken against people unless it is proven that they will make the workplace unsafe.

But Zackie Achmat, activist and co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign, said vaccines that prevent or mitigate Covid-19 infection are now increasingly available.

Achmat said mass vaccination will save millions of lives, prevent serious illness, and allow hundreds of millions across the globe to avoid any infection at all.

“Some Western Cape teachers have reportedly refused to be vaccinated. Should we stand back respectfully, and defer to their beliefs, while allowing them to continue to teach?

“No,” said Achmat, “If they are not vaccinated, teachers should not be allowed to teach. They may refuse to be vaccinated – of course – but the state should not be required to pay them,” he said.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said it will be devastating if the country’s schools are not allowed to reopen on 19 July as planned.

Motshekga said the education sector has already lost significant time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which will have long-term ramifications.

She said her department plans to open on 19 July as gazetted but, “we will not be irresponsible if there are still difficulties by the time we want to open and bring more learners”.

Motshekga said she and the relevant stakeholders, including the Council of Education Ministers, will take the appropriate decision when the time comes and will relook their decision after the 14-day period given my President Cyril Ramaphosa during his address to on progress in the national effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramaphosa said Cabinet decided that the country should move to Adjusted Alert Level 4 and that the additional restrictions announced that evening will be in place for the next 14 days.

Ramaphosa said government will assess the impact of these interventions after 14 days to determine whether they need to be maintained or adjusted. The announcement will be made this coming Sunday, 11 July 2021.

READ: BREAKING: Schools to shut down from Wednesday

Motshekga said the decision to open schools on 19 July or keep them closed will be taken closer to the time.

“But for now, we are not changing any of the plans. The reopening of schools and other lockdown restrictions will ultimately be contingent on national government,” said Motshekga.

Schools were initially meant to close on 9 July. The date was brought forward following the governing party’s decision to place the country on stricter restrictions for the next 14 days.

National Professional Teachers’ Organization of South Africa’s (Naptosa) Basil Manuel said Motshekga needs to let go of this calendar because the pandemic is so unpredictable.

Education Union of South Africa’s (EUSA) Spokesperson Kabelo Mahlobongwane said the minister needs to relax. Adding that the reopening of schools will be guided by the third wave and “not Motshekga’s ambition to see teachers and learners spread the virus through these unsafe buildings she refers to as schools”.

READ: Public schools set to shut down, reopen 19 July

Motshekga’s comments come as her department plans to wrap up its education sector inoculation programme by Friday this week. 

The minister said the sector would remain vigilant in monitoring the developments of the epidemiology and will continue to work closely with the Department of Health. She said her department will also look at the feasibility of the earlier pronounced of full attendance of primary school learners from the first day of the third school term.

Motshekga urged educators who are not yet vaccinated to get their jab. She said educators were prioritised in this phase of vaccine rollout and are therefore expected to take advantage of the opportunity to avoid further disruptions and learning losses in the sector.

We urge all educators and staff to follow the schedules in each district in order to ensure a smooth roll-out of the programme, said the minister.

Motshekga said the basic education sector will continue to administer the remaining doses of the vaccine to cover the remaining 282 512 staff.

“In addition, support staff from independent schools, food handlers, screeners, cleaners and ECD practitioners will be included in the roll out programme,” she said.

According to the DBE, more than 333 000 teachers and support staff have since been vaccinated since the campaign started on 23 June 2021.

DBE Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said phase one targeted 300 000 educators and staff to be vaccinated within the first 10 days of the programme.

“This target was based on the number of doses allocated of the Johnson& Johnson vaccine to the sector.

“By the end of Day one of the sector’s vaccination programme, the Basic Education sector had vaccinated a total of 48 000 of the Phase one target,” said Mhlanga.

Adding that by 1 July, nine days since the start of the vaccination programme, over 100% (300 052) of the Phase one target was met across the country’s nine provinces.

He said the basic education sector received an additional 289 000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“These additional doses will enable the sector to reach its overall target of vaccinating 582 564 educators and non-teaching staff,” said Mhlanga.

The early introduction of technology in schools is important so to close the gap between where current graduates are and where they need to be. Experts say technology can provide opportunities for children to become technologically literate at an early age, even those children without any means at home.

Michelle Lissoos, Managing Director of Think Ahead – an organisation that specialises in working with schools, ministries, CSI partners and foundations to plan and implement technological solutions to meet teacher and learner needs – said technological literacy goes further than digital literacy, “in that children with strong technological literacy are able to use, manage, understand and assess technology.”

According to a recent paper by McKinsey, the adopting of digital technologies at an early age could result in a net gain of 1.2 million jobs for South Africans by 2030.

The paper also predicts that productivity growth would be tripled, and per capita income doubled.

Nomfanelo Magwentshu, Partner at McKinsey & Company said one key challenge in South Africa is that the country has been slow to nurture the skills needed for companies to compete and grow in an increasingly technology-driven world.

“That matters for the millions of young South Africans struggling to build their own futures,” said Magwentshu.

READ: South Africa needs tech classrooms

Lissoos said filling these jobs would require graduates with higher life skills and strong technology-related backgrounds.

“Our South African reality, however, is that many learners attending schools are from homes without a strong technological infrastructure. Children need to be taught those skills that robots cannot do,” she said.

Candice Joubert, an educator at Charterhouse Pre-Primary School said the responsibility to teach children digital and technological skills rests on the education sector. Joubert said the sector should ensure that graduates have enough technological skills to fill projected demands.

“There are many situations where educators can utilise technology to spark creativity within learners.

“Learners with a lack of resources in the home can be exposed to music, dance, drama, art and photography through the use of quality apps,” said Joubert.

Adding that in the absence of available materials, apps such as Auryn Ink allows learners to create realistic looking watercolour artworks on a classroom iPad.

Joubert said that when learners need a space to create and share stories, the Storyrobe app provides an educator with the platform to do just that.

READ: Limpopo schools to begin with Coding and Robotics

She said a quick internet search returns countless further apps that could be used to encourage expression and creativity. 

Access to the internet remains a problem in South Africa.

According to the latest Statistic South Africa General Household Survey, just over 10.4% of South African households have access to the internet at home. This number is just 1.7% in Limpopo and 3% in the North West.

The Stats SA survey states that computer ownership in the country only sits at 21.5% with only 7.3% of households in metropolitan areas, 1.7% in rural areas with access to the internet at home.

“The responsibility, therefore, rests on the Education sector to ensure that these graduates will be available, at a scale large enough to fill projected demands,” said Joubert.

Joubert said a new kind of adult is needed for the future South Africa.

Technology is how we enable our children to become those adults, she said.

Joubert added that educators need to move towards using technology as a tool to enable learners to become creative, empathetic, higher-order thinkers.

“We already have the problems. It is time to start equipping our problem-solvers from a young age,” she said.

Adding that the Internet allows for learners to retrieve vast amounts of information on any number of subjects, which results in a greater challenge when it comes to forming conclusions and opinions.

“Even our youngest learners can develop their thinking skills by making use of fun, engaging tools like Terrapin’s Bee-Bots.

“These programmable robots are designed specifically for young children, and can be used in the classroom for all manner of problem solving.

“Young learners will be able to communicate and collaborate while manipulating the Bee-Bot through and along obstacles, solving problems as they encounter them and learning from prior mistakes,” she said.

The roll out of vaccination to all staff in the post school system will start in the coming few weeks. This is according to Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Blade Nzimande who on Monday said he has instructed Higher Health, a health agency of the department of higher education and training, to come up with a Post School Education and Training (PSET) vaccination strategy that is aligned with – and supporting of – the Department of Health’s phased national vaccine roll out strategy.

The minister’s announcement comes as the Department of Basic Education (DBE) rounds off its last week of educators’ vaccination programme across the country.

About 582 000 staff in the basic education sector are being vaccinated. The DBE vaccination programme started Wednesday 23 June and will end this week on 8 July.

This number includes all teachers in public and private schools, all administrative and support staff in public schools but none in the higher education sector.

Nzimande said the Higher Health vaccination strategy for the higher education sector will help to ensure access to vaccination for all staff, including academia, management but importantly the frontline staff, at higher education residences, as well as cleaning, security and other support staff.

Nzimande said: “This matter has been tabled at the IMC [Inter-Ministerial Committee on Higher Education and Training] and I am confident that very soon we will start the roll out of vaccination to all our staff in the post school system.

“I’ll announce as soon as the Department of Health is able to provide the vaccine allocations framework for our sector,” said Nzimande.

READ: Nzimande on post school education and training institutions plans on the Covid-19 adjusted level 4 lockdown

Just this weekend unions called for all staff in the education sector be vaccinated.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said it will engage government and Nzimande to address the vaccination of the entire education sector.

Sadtu General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the union wants vaccination to be spread to as many people as possible including educators in the Early Childhood Development, Community Education & Training (CET) and Technical & Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sectors.

“While the NEC appreciates the progress the department of basic education vaccination programme has had, it cannot fully rejoice the vaccination programme when thousands of educators are not part of the programme,” said Maluleke.

Maluleke said the union will continue to fight vaccine nationalism. He criticised the bureaucracy surrounding the distribution of vaccines across the country, saying that the bureaucracy is the reason for the slow vaccination process.

“No one is safe until everyone is vaccinated,” said Maluleke.

READ: Schools must be turned into vaccination sites – Sadtu

Nzimande said Higher Health has trained and developed over 49 000 campus-based frontline institutional staff and student volunteers.

Among them are residence officers (on-campus, off-campus and private accommodation), management, student support services, campus security and cleaning staff, said the minister.

He said Higher Health is currently working in seven key areas to promote the health and wellbeing of students across South Africa’s public universities and TVETs.

“For easy access of vaccinations to our staff and later, students, work has already begun to develop vaccination centres within our Universities and TVET Colleges.

“We established isolation & quarantine resources within the residences to prevent further outbreaks in common areas, such as dining halls, kitchen & study halls. Going forward, we will accelerate daily Covid-19 screenings at residences to identify possible outbreaks,” said Nzimande.

The minister said it is very crucial for young people to take these extra measures very seriously if we are to prevent community transmission. He said during all the waves including the current third wave, the higher education sector experienced several cluster outbreaks, across many of our institutional residences.

“This warranted Higher Health to develop a specific protocol on residences to deal with Covid-19 positive cases.

“Keeping in mind the new variants that are highly transmissible even when someone is asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and especially in the third wave, daily Covid-19 screening is critical towards saving human lives.

“It is now evident that the new Delta variant, is highly transmissible and increasingly infecting larger numbers of younger persons in the population – unlike the previous (Alpha) variant,” said the minister.

More athletes were on Saturday added to Team SA for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, taking the overall squad to 167.

According to sport analysts, the total size of the final team for the games is expected to be around 180.

Saturday’s announcement was the third made by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), following previous announcements in May and June.

Nomnikelo ‘‘Nicky’’ Veto (24), a former Wits University hockey player will also be taking part in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after being named for the South African women’s team. 

Veto said she was ready.

READ: Ntuli brothers set to represent South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics

“With Olympics being held once every four years, and with us being in South Africa and not sure of even going to the next Olympic games, I feel ready. But I am never fully ready to go on the field and play, because I always feel there is something more I could do.

“But so far I am on the right track.”  

Born in Walmer, Gqeberha, Veto started playing hockey at the age of nine, and made her debut with Wits women’s hockey in 2016 for the U21 team.

She has also participated in international tournaments such as the African Cup of Nations in junior and senior teams, and Olympic qualifiers in Spain. 

She graduated in 2020 with a BA in international relations and political studies.

Veto said some of the challenges she faced include the disappointment of not making one of the provincial teams, as well as the expense of the hockey tours to different places.

“It has been a difficult challenge, but the love and passion for the game kept her going and playing,” said Veto who now plays for Wits University’s first team hockey, coached by former South African hockey player Pietie Coetzee-Turner.

Veto has been selected as part of the 26-player squad for the South African Women’s hockey team, which will take part in the Olympic qualifier in Tokyo.

READ: ‘Siyaya eJapan, Tokyo here we come,’ say UJ sportsmen, women in SA squad

She said she used this year to focus on developing her sports abilities in time for the Olympics. Adding that she plans to study law in 2022 as a backup plan in case that does not work out for her.

“Even though I enjoy participating in sports, the study plan will provide me with a long-term solution should I need it,” she said.

The acting CEO of Sascoc, Ravi Govender, said he was delighted that the Team is almost complete.

“I believe the team is a blend of both experienced and new talent with many team members having worn the green and gold of Team South Africa at previous Olympic Games,” he said. 

“We get excited each time we receive notification of a selection. Our athletes have risen above the onslaught of Covid. This is real, it’s happening and we applaud our athletes.”