NYAKALLO TEFU|

As the fate of contact classes continue to hang by the thread in a world gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has become the first tertiary institution in Africa to offer an Online High School platform.

Speaking at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng said affordable, quality education is the most important tool every South African needs as this will qualify them for employment or a university degree.

She said the model would democratise the education system by giving students access to the “most affordable private school” in the country “offering a high-quality education with support from expert teachers and mentors”.

Present at the briefing was UCT Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, UCT Council Chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer.

Phakeng said the online high school learners will commence with online classes from January 2022. Grade 12 classes will only start in 2023.

Adding that university said applications for the online classes are officially opened.

“This is the only way we can close the inequality gap in this country,” said Phakeng.

Adding that the online high school is not only a necessity for the university sector, but for everybody in the country.

READ: 130 schools damaged by KZN Shutdown riots

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in closure of schools not only in South Africa but across the world, which has raised concerns of learners missing out on a lot.

Since the start of the pandemic, learners in South Africa have been returning to school based on the statistics of the virus and waves that have gripped the nation.

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for the closure of schools as the third wave of the virus hit South African shores, with numbers increasing drastically by the day.

READ: Schools remain shut in 19 countries including South Africa

Schools are set to reopen next week, however, that will be determined by the president’s address on whether the country will be on a different alert level.

Educators Union of South Africa’s (EUSA) spokesperson Kabelo Mahlobongwane said it is high time the country moved to other forms of teaching and learning.

“The world is moving to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the department of basic education should follow suit,” said Mahlobongwane.

Mahlobongwane said they have been calling for the department of basic education to look at ways for teaching and learning not to only happen in classrooms, especially during a pandemic.

UCT partnered with education technology company Valenture Institute and it will be offering online a CAPS-aligned curriculum for learners in grades 8 to 12.

“This announcement is very exciting for education in South Africa. The personalised learning experience is welcome and in line with what more people are desiring,” said Western Cape MEC for Education Debbie Schäfer.

Schäfer said Covid has shown that education can be done differently and whilst it will not be for everyone at this stage, it can assist offering different options.

“I am particularly excited about the free online content and have asked the Western Cape education department to consider how we could use this in our system,” added Schäfer.

Phakeng said the university’s online high school will allow learners to have the option to attend the most affordable private school in the country offering a high quality education with support from expert teachers and mentors.

It will also include an entirely free online school platform, with a high-quality, interactive curriculum for any teacher and learner to use for a broad range of South African CAPS subjects.

“UCT will continue to be the best university in Africa, and the best university for Africa. But we will now offer a top-level high school education, not just to a select group of learners, but to all high school students on the continent,” said Phakeng.

The school has two offerings: the formal high school where students are enrolled at a fee of R2,095 a month, the second is access to a free zero-rated platform for the general public to access the curriculum without mentorship or tutoring.

Phakeng said learners will not follow a standardised teaching schedule with live classes but have asynchronous timetables and access to one-on-one as well as group sessions with teachers.

Applications for the school are open and can be accessed at www.uctonlinehighschool.com.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has called on the South African government to put children and young people first in the country’s recovery out of unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organisation made the call ahead of the Nelson Mandela Day, following a week of unrest in the country resulting in the deaths of at least three children – a 15-year old boy a 14-year old boy and a 14-year old girl.

Christine Muhigana, Unicef South Africa representative said the organisation is devastated for the individuals, families and communities affected.

READ: Nzimande says the food prices following unrests will affect students

“We’ve also seen widely shared and shocking images of a two-year-old girl thrown from a building to be saved from a fire in Durban, with other social media content showing the participation of children in looting,” said Muhigana.

The riots came at a time when the country is battling a third Covid-19 wave. With schools already closed due to high infection rates, children are more at risk of being caught up in or involved in unrest, said Muhigana.

She added that the safeguarding of children from voluntary or encouraged involvement in the lawlessness is critical and that communities must come together to protect children.

“Law enforcement agencies also need to exercise restraint and protect children at every step of the way, in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and national legal instruments,” she said.

Muhugana said the unrest has also affected the country’s Covid-19 response.

“Some vaccination sites have temporarily closed, while health clinics have been damaged and medical stocks reportedly looted.

“Just as the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out had been gathering pace, statistics showed a drop in vaccinations in areas where the unrest was at its worst. This puts more lives at risk. Large crowds that are not practicing Covid-19 prevention measures could further fuel the spread of the virus,” said Muhigana.

READ: Education sector vaccination drive falls short

Routine child and family health services have also been disrupted.

According to Unicef the national routine immunisation coverage for children under one year is at 79%, already 4% below pre-Covid-19 rates and well under the 90% target.

Since schools closed, reports that many children who depend on the National Feeding Scheme did not receive food also circulated.

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

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

This plight was further exacerbated by riots that saw more disruptions to food supplies.

According to Communication Specialist for Unicef South Africa Sudeshan Reddy the latest figures show that child hunger has not declined from the high rate of 14% and that three million children live in households affected by hunger.

“Screening for malnutrition in the early days and years of life, promoting breastfeeding and improving education on good nutrition can help but only when there is access to nutritious food for all,” said Reddy.

Unicef also called on the country’s government to prioritise the issue of youth unemployment.

According to UJ Professor and associate at the Centre for Social Development in Africa Lauren Graham,  youth unemployment is one of South Africa’s most intractable challenges and has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Prior to the pandemic the unemployment rate, including people who had given up looking for work was just under 70% for people aged 15 to 24. A year later [in 2021] the rate had increased to 74.7%,” said Graham.

READ: Let them eat cake: hunger and food riots in South Africa

Graham added that young people on the continent are the most affected by unemployment and underemployment and they are struggling to survive.

“They are poor and are stuck in ‘waithood’ –a prolonged period of suspension in which people’s access to social adulthood is delayed or denied,” she said.

Unicef’s Muhigana said South Africa’s level of youth unemployment, at nearly 75%, is unsustainable.

“Initiatives such as Generation Unlimited, which brings together the private sector, academia, government, the United Nations and many others are working to provide young people with relevant 21st century skills, mentorship as well as supporting young entrepreneurs so some of the most vulnerable young people can transition into working lives,” she said.

Adding that it is child and youth-led actions that give expression to Madiba’s words that children are the “rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth who care for and protect our people”.

“As we move forward, we must give children every opportunity to do just that,” said Muhigana.

NYAKALLO TEFU and MMADIFEDILE MOFOKENG|

Early Childhood Development (ECD) staff will be part of the 240 000 workforce who will get vaccinated as part of the Social Developments sectors vaccine rollout. 

The vaccination drive kicked off on Monday and is set to end on 23 July. 

Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu said they anticipated that the vaccine rollout programme will target just over 240 000 workforce throughout the sector.

Zulu said the roll-out plan will enable business continuity of our social services currently in high demand as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“The department has been working with the ECD Inter-Sectoral Forum to ensure that no-one is left behind, given that ECDs remain open whilst schools are closed and practitioners are equally at risk of the contracting the virus,” said Zulu. 

According to the department’s spokesperson, Lumka Oliphant, the vaccination drive on Monday kicked off in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and Northern Cape provinces.

Western Cape and Limpopo will begin their provincial roll-out on Friday.

READ: DBE requests extension for education sector vaccination programme

The department says  the Early Childhood Development (ECD) workforce is inclusive of ECD practitioners and staff who work in the ECD environment.

Zulu said her department has been working with the ECD Inter-Sectoral Forum to ensure that no-one is left behind.

“This includes all ECDs both registered and unregistered with government, including centre and non-centre-based programmes,” she said.

Adding that ECDs were very important given that they remained open while schools were closed.

“Practitioners are equally at risk of the contracting the virus. We want to highlight that.

“It is important to highlight that only those who are registered on the Department of Health’s Electronic Vaccination Data System system will be eligible for vaccination, as there is no paper-based registration process at vaccination sites.

“Details of all vaccination sites, provincial and district coordinators, including the ECD forum coordinators will be published on DSD National, Provincial Departmental and the Departments’ Agency’s websites,” added the minister.

Oliphant said the department also makes calls upon members of the public to desist from spreading negative information about the vaccine which may cause vaccine hesitancy.

“Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing infection, especially severe illness and death.

“The vaccine reduces the risk of people spreading the virus that causes Covid-19. Covid-19 vaccines are a key tool in ending the pandemic and getting societies back to normal,” she said.

NYAKALLO TEFU|

University of Cape Town (UCT)’s masters student Nicholas Notten has won the Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships.

The Championships were held in Lanzarote, Spain, from 4 to 6 July 2021. 

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) Ocean Racing World Championships is an annual international race for long-distance surf skis also known as sea kayaks, where all the competitors race in one event for the world title.

The 25-year-old UCT student was born and bred in Cape Town and has always been close to the sea, where as a child became part of the live saving staff.

“At some point I started doing junior [surf] lifesaving, which led me to senior lifesaving. In turn, being a surf lifesaver I then became a competitive sea kayaking,” said Notten.

The world championships drew more than 250 competitors across multiple divisions (from juniors up to masters) from over 20 countries.

“In surf lifesaving there are various races in the different lifesaving crafts, one of which is the surfski. This is similar to the ocean racing kayaking,” added Notten.

Notten said the preparation was a little bit on and off unfortunately because of the COVID crisis.

“Us as South Africans not knowing if we would be able to make it to Lanzarote was one of the other challenges we faced,” said Notten.

The South African team, which normally has 30 or more members, consisted of only eight competitors. This was due mainly to pandemic-related reasons such as travel restrictions.

The 25-year-old said he just kept his head down and was very optimistic and, in the end, it worked out for him.

“The conditions we had for the race were a 1.8 m swell with a 20-knot wind, for the race I maintained an average speed of 3:21 minutes per kilometre, finishing almost a minute ahead of the second-placed paddler,” added Notten.

The 25-year-old is currently in Germany and is set to return to South Africa at the end of July.

“For UCT and South Africa, it is great to have people involved in sea kayaking who are not only participants, but are also at the pinnacle of the sport,” said the 25-year-old.

“For me personally, it means a great deal. I am very honoured to have the title, and grateful to have had the opportunity to race and represent South Africa,” said Notten.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced local organisations in both the public and private sectors to embrace digital transformation and the digitalisation of internal processes.

Analysts say that those that have not yet embraced online education are in imminent danger of falling behind.

Dr Cerene Rathilal, a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg said online education has become increasingly important considering that online engagement is the new norm.

“Online education and engagement are a hybrid approach that will likely remain the medium of instruction in the foreseeable future,” said Rathilal.

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Soweto Science Centre in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, Africa Teen Geeks and UNICEF hosted a virtual Teacher Training workshop this month. The workshop aimed at equipping teachers with the necessary skills needed to create an effective online environment for learning.

READ: Technology in the classroom

Analysts and policy makers say that the move towards digital and Industry 4.0 technologies and methodologies is no longer optional if an organisation or country wishes to survive amid the “new normal”.​

Analytics software solutions provider at Analytics Software & Solutions South Africa education manager Adesh Nathalal said a key concern when implementing Industry 4.0 technologies in South Africa – and in Africa in general – is the employment factor.

Nathalal said it remains a significant challenge to implement a just transition to Industry 4.0 technologies and simultaneously retain jobs.

Dr Lungile Sithole, Director of the Soweto Science Centre said teachers play a noteworthy role in the upliftment and transformation of our society and as such, it is important that they receive continuous training and development.

Sithole said the Soweto Science Centre was primarily established to address pressing problems associated with human capital development, which South Africa as a member of the global community of nations is grappling with.

“Our mandate is geared towards the provision of tuition to learners and development of teachers in order to improve the quality of mathematics and science education in South Africa”, said Sithole.

READ: South Africa needs tech classrooms

Teacher training workshops are hosted annually at the Soweto Science Centre.

Sithole said this is where skills and competence development are a key part of the programme.

The Teacher Development Program seeks to promote the professional development of teachers on a broad scale, he said.

Adding that the program runs in tandem with UJ’s learner enrichment program which provides meaningful learning opportunities for both teachers and learners.

Economists and social activists have said South Africans should condemn the government’s “let them eat cake” policy that does not allocate a cent to address the devastating economic impact of the over the top lockdown.

Adding that the insane austerity policy that will withdraw R265 billion from economy in the medium-term [three years] and in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, is the reason behind the rioting and social unrest the country saw over the last week.

Isobel Frye, director of The Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) – an independent not-for-profit research think tank which focuses on generating new knowledge, information and analysis in the field of poverty and inequality studies – said: “People are rioting because they are hungry, they are completely despondent and they have nothing to lose.”

“We cannot criminalise people who are hungry.

READ: South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis – a ticking time bomb

“The most vulnerable working-age adults are not formally employed, and are at the greatest risk of hardship during the lockdown especially those who are now sitting at home on ‘no work no pay’,” said Frye.

Adding that some people have lost jobs again when Level 4 started, “and with the R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) no longer available, they have no alternative but to go to soup kitchens”.

The jailing of former president Jacob Zuma is believed to have sparked the rampant looting and violent scenes that have played out in the past few days.

Zuma was arrested without trial after being found in contempt of court. The former president is sentenced to 15 months in prison for his repeated refusal to participate in the Zondo Commission’s proceedings.

President Cyril Ramaphosa labelled what followed as an “insurrection,” with protests led by the former president’s supporters spiralling into full-blown riots in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

In response to on-going social tensions, three leading social justice organisations coordinated an urgent meeting last Friday to forge a multi-pronged national demand for the unconditional commitment to a universal basic income grant (BIG) in South Africa of R1268 per person per month to be introduced within 12 months with the immediate reintroduction of the R350 Special Covid Grant and the R500 monthly Caregivers grant.

READ: Youth unemployment: A catastrophe

Frye asked: “At what point does inequality pose a threat to stability, and will this crisis prompt the government to ensure that poverty is addressed as a matter of urgency? Will we ever achieve a decent standard of living in South Africa?”

The termination of the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant in April, together with ongoing job losses, has resulted in scores of people relying on local soup kitchens for their only meal of the day.

Duma Gqubule, economist and founding director at the Centre for Economic Development and Transformation said “why are we surprised”.

“We have unemployment of 74.7% for youth, 47.9% for Black Africans, 51.5% for Black African women and 50% in Limpopo and Eastern Cape. Then government cuts R36 billion from social grants, ends the Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) of R350 a month and implements an over the top lockdown without humanitarian support,” said Gqubule.

Gqubule said if you ignore the politics and look at The Presidency through an economic lens it has been a disaster.

READ: Ramaphosa has no plausible strategy for reducing youth unemployment

“The part I do not understand is that there is no plan to get us out of the crisis. Does the president really think a security response plus austerity can get us out of this crisis?

“Let us not let President get away with his idea of dehumanising food parcels. Only way out of the crisis is basic income grant,” said Gqubule.

Adding that an SRD grant must start in August at food poverty line of R585. Then BIG must start next year.

He said this net cost after all taxes it will generate will be R90 billion.

“Government has wrongly decided that this is only a security crisis.

“But the National Treasury has cut R39 billion from police budget over three years. It will retrench 18000 cops. It has cut R15 billion from the defence budget. The president must address the political and economic grievances and not waste our time,” he said.

Frye said the rule of law is not an intangible principle against this backdrop.

The rule of law must put bread on people’s tables, and be used to provide warmth, security and well-being, she said.

“The rule of law cannot be exclusively  about protecting people’s vested property. In this most unequal of countries the law needs to champion the fair distribution of the wealth in South Africa,” she added.

She said it is against this backdrop of continuing national unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic that the coalition of civil society organisations [about 40] will seek to draw attention to the plight of the 13 million people living in deepening starvation in South Africa, three million of whom are children.

Inequality and joblessness have turned South Africa into a pressure cooker

Analysts have also warned about the toxic, corrosive impact that economic inequality has on a country’s politics and society at large. “Over the long run, inequality has created a vicious circle,” said University of Oxford professor Diego Sánchez-Ancochea.

“Large income gaps between the poor and the wealthy have been one of the drivers of violence, one of the reasons that Latin America is the region with the highest homicide rate in the world.

“The violence is concentrated in low-income neighborhoods, creating anxiety and personal insecurity and discouraging inward investment, which might create jobs and improve services,” said Sánchez-Ancochea.

READ: Youth unemployment: Is the solution a change in mindset?

According to Statistics South Africa, unemployment – especially for the 18-to-25 age bracket – was already high before the pandemic, which is now hitting South Africa with a third wave.

Youth unemployment is at a record 74.7%, according to government statistics. Hunger has risen sharply. And now businesses that employed and fed thousands of people have been ransacked or burned.

Except for a heavily protected mall, few businesses in one of Johannesburg’s oldest townships, Alexandra, were spared. Even Lillian Dassie’s preschool was looted.

“No other African country has been hit nearly as hard,” said Gqubule.

Adding that he does not understand South Africa’s media obsession with Jacob Zuma.

“It is a diversion from the unfolding public health, humanitarian and economic crises and a government that is clueless on how to address them.

“With these numbers lockdown might last for two months with devastating impact for millions,” said Gqubule.

The killings, as well as the widespread destruction of small, uninsured businesses in townships, underscores the bitter irony of this wave of violence born of anger at inequality.

Most of its victims are the poor and dispossessed.

NYAKALLO TEFU|

Over 30 000 learners might not be able to return to school on 26 July given the looting and riots that targeted KwaZulu-Natal schools last week.

KwaZulu-Natal Education Spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi told Inside Education on Monday that about 130 schools in his province were vandalised and some even torched amid riots and lootings following the unrest that took place last week in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.

Reports state that the immediate trigger for the unrest was the jailing of the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma.

 Zuma was arrested without trial after being found in contempt of court. The former president is sentenced to 15 months in prison for his repeated refusal to participate in the Zondo Commission’s proceedings.

President Cyril Ramaphosa labelled what followed as an “insurrection,” with protests led by the former president’s supporters spiralling into full-blown riots in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

READ: Nzimande says the food prices following unrests will affect students

Major highways were blocked, trucks burned, shops and even schools and medical offices ransacked. The army wasdeployed, but the upheaval still wreaked about R15 billion in damage and led to many being killed amid stampedes and clashes with police and rioters.

The insurrection took a surprising turn when on Wednesday schools became the focus of attack.

Radha Roopsingh School just outside Stanger, KZN was shown burning. The office was burned to ashes and equipment including photocopying machines taken from the school premises.

Basic Education Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga told Inside Education there is no budget to fix the schools.

“There is no budget available. This will affect teachers in the same way it affects learners,” said Mhlanga.

In an interview with Inside Education, KZN education spokesperson said the implications are huge and there are some schools that have to delay reopening because the provincial department is now forced to provide them with mobile classrooms.

Mahlambi said they do not even have the money to provide mobile classrooms for the affected schools.

 “We do not have the budget, these incidents come when we already have budget cuts in the department this financial year in the region of R6.2 billion.

“This will cause an even bigger financial constraint than we had before all the unrest happened.

“Already, some programmes were cut off, this means a further cut when it comes to programmes for teaching and learning. The situation will be worse,” said Mahlambi.

Adding that due to the budget cuts, the department had to scale down some programmes it had planned for the year, including repairs at schools affected by a storm in 2019 and those that were vandalised during the Covid-19 Level 5 lockdown last year.

READ: DBE budget cuts increase inequalities between poor and privileged schools

“We had not finished attending those challenges, and now there is this new financial burden that comes on our shoulders – the very same tired shoulders – which collapses us all together in terms of how we move forward,” he said.

Schools were expected to reopen on Monday, 26 July, after they closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 amid the country’s third wave of infections. Mahlambi said the riots will definitely disturb teaching and learning.

Teacher unions condemned the actions and expressed disappointment.

National Professional Teachers Organization of South Africa (Naptosa)’s executive manager Basil Manuel says they are sickened by images of schools in burning to the ground.

“The reason for the damaging of the schools is apparently being that people were looking for food,” said Manuel.

“Stealing objects and equipment from is a school is contemptable but stealing the future of innocent children and disrupting their lives is unforgiveable,” said Manuel.

Manuel said the time has arrived where the destruction and damage to schools can no longer be dealt with as merely an offence of damage to property.

“It needs to be elevated to something more telling for which more severe and deterrent sentences can be imposed and where the damage it causes children, becomes an aggravating factor,” said Manuel.

The Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) ’s Spokesperson, Kabelo Mahlobongwane said such criminal activities should not be happening at schools.

“We want to register our disappointment to those who decided that schools were places where such criminal elements could happen,” said Mahlobongwane.

Mahlobongwane said that they have been calling for tighter security in schools for a very long time.

“Such criminal activities have been reported in our schools for a long time, and most reports and studies confirmed that schools are a red zone for crimes,” he said.

READ: Nzimande says the food prices following unrests will affect students

Mahlobongwane said Eusa wants to emphasise its call for government to deploy at least two police in each school across the country to help deal with such criminal activities.

“It is very disappointing on the side of government to not prioritise the safety of institutions that play a vital role in making sure the future of our children is secured.

Nomarashiya Caluza, KZN South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) ‘s provincial secretary said Sadtu condemns this behaviour from KZN residents.

“This has been happening for a very long time, even before lockdown.

“We had more than 100 schools that were vandalized because people wanted to get access to food at the schools, which is reportedly the case now.

“Computers and food were taken from schools. We are disappointed because it is the responsibility of the community to protect schools,” said Caluza.

She added that schools have historically never had security because communities would protect schools from any form of criminal activity.

“This is why we are disappointed. The national education department cannot look after schools alone, community members also need to play their role in this,” she said.

Extra reporting by Mmadifedile Mofokeng.

Schools remain shut in 19 countries due to the pandemic, affecting 156 million children globally. The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) called this “a generational catastrophe” and that the re-opening of schools cannot wait.

Unicef’s Executive Director Henrietta Fore said the losses that children and young people will incur from not being in school may never be recouped.

“From learning loss, mental distress, exposure to violence and abuse, to missed school-based meals and vaccinations or reduced development of social skills.

“The consequences for children will be felt in their academic achievement and societal engagement as well as physical and mental health,” said Fore.

Audrey Azoulay, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Director-General said the most affected are often children in low-resource settings who do not have access to remote learning tools, and the youngest children who are at key developmental stages.

“That’s why reopening schools for in-person learning cannot wait.

“It [the reopening] cannot wait for [Covid-19] cases to go to zero.

“There is clear evidence that primary and secondary schools are not among the main drivers of transmission. Meanwhile, the risk of Covid-19 transmission in schools is manageable with appropriate mitigation strategies in most settings,” said Azoulay.

READ: ‘Schools cannot open if all health protocols are not in place’ say teachers and parents

South Africa has itself been battling with the decision to open schools or keep them shut amid the coronavirus third wave.

Schools were initially supposed to open on Monday, 19 July. The decision to extend the winter holidays was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa who said all schools will open on 26 July because the country was deep inside the third wave infections.

Non-profit organisation Equal Education said it supports the government’s decision to open schools amid the country’s third Covid-19 wave. The organisation said closing schools is detrimental for many pupils who depend on schools for meals and counselling.

“Our schools are not only places of learning – they are where learners need to get a meal, through the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).

“Child hunger is almost double what it was before the pandemic. Less than half of children (43%) received a free school meals in February and March 2021, showing receipt is still well below pre-pandemic levels (65%), and possibly even November/December 2020 levels (49%), said Equal Education Communications Officer Jay-Dee Cyster.

Unicef’s Fore said the decision to open or close schools should be based on risk analysis and the epidemiological considerations in the communities where they are situated.

“Reopening schools cannot wait for all teachers and students to be vaccinated.

READ: Schools to return to traditional and daily attendance on 2 August

“With the global vaccine shortages plaguing low and middle-income countries, vaccinating frontline workers and those most at risk of severe illness and death will remain a priority,” said Fore.

Adding that the effects of school closures are dire, ranging from lower educational achievement to mental health problems, as well as increased malnutrition.

“Schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen,” said Fore

“We urge decision-makers and governments to prioritise the safe reopening of schools to avoid a generational catastrophe,” added Azoulay.

Adding that closing schools mortgages our future for unclear benefits to our present.

“We must prioritise better. We can re-open schools safely, and we must,” said Azoulay.

All primary school learners, as well as pupils attending special needs schools, are to return to the traditional and daily attendance timetabling model from August 2.

This is according to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Angie Motshekga who, on Thursday, published the updated return dates and plans for schools in South Africa.

Motshekga said schools will reopen on 26 July. She said teachers will have to use the week of July 26 “to finalise the preparations for the return to the traditional and daily attendance timetabling model on August 2… provided that the risk adjusted differentiated strategy is implemented”.

Motshekga said school principals, as well as the school management team and non-teaching staff will return to school on 22 July to prepare for the return of learners to school on 26 July.

“Educators must continue with teaching and learning from 26 July in accordance with the timetabling model adopted by the school, until 2 August, from which date the return to the traditional and daily attendance timetabling model must be implemented,” said Motshekga.

Adding that independent schools must close for contact classes until 26 July 2021.

READ: BREAKING: Schools to remain closed until 26 July

The gazette comes despite the surge in Covid-19 infections across the country.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), an additional 11 215 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 295 095.

This increase represents a 29.3% positivity rate on Sunday, slowly declining from the 15,939 new Covid-19 cases reported on Friday, said the NICD.

“The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (39%), followed by Western Cape (19%). Limpopo and Mpumalanga each accounted for 9%; KwaZulu-Natal and North West each accounted for 7%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; Free State accounted for 3%; and Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases,” the NICD said in a statement.

A study by the National Income Dynamics Study — Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM) shows that the average Grade 3 child in June 2021 would have the same learning outcomes as the average Grade 2 child in June 2019.

The study shows that between March 2020 and June 2021, most primary school learners in South Africa have lost 70%-100% – close to a full year – of learning relative to the 2019 cohort.

According to the DBE, in 2020, South African primary school children in no-fee schools learnt 50-75% less than what they normally learn.

“Two large, independent studies showed that, depending on the subject, learning losses in no-fee schools in 2020 ranged from 50-75% of a year of learning when compared to children in 2019,” said DBE Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.

READ: Schools on track to open even with rising Covid-19 infections

Another NIDS-CRAM study shows that the majority of parents and caregivers in South Africa (58%) have also agreed that children should be able to attend school every day, rather than rotational timetables.

“There were strong racial differences with the highest rate of agreement among White respondents (85% yes) and Coloured respondents (69% yes) and the lowest rate of agreement among Black Africans (56%),” reads the study.

Motshekga said the move to take schools back to traditional and daily attendance timetabling model from August 2 is important because about 93 days of schooling have occurred between 15 February 2021 and 30 June.

The minister said evidence points towards additional effects of ‘forgetting’ or regression that could hinder current learning, particularly if teaching occurs as if the content of the previous year’s curriculum has been mastered, let alone learnt.

Some teachers’ unions have welcomed the school’s reopening delay to July 26 but suggested distance and remote learning as Covid-19 infection rates continue to surge.

READ: School dropout rate increased drastically during lockdown

But Ben Machibi of the Professional Teachers Union said even though they are concerned over loss of academic time, they are more concerned about the disparities that remain in this country.

“Children in private schools continue with remote learning, the masses aren’t able to continue. As the numbers go down, we will work around the clock to ensure that all work is covered,” said Machibi.

A team of scientists have developed a new diagnostic methodology enabling a non-invasive, fast and highly accurate way of detecting tuberculosis (TB).

Approximately 95% of TB cases occur in developing countries, including locations where people live on less than one US$1 (R14.50) per day. About one‑third of the world population has latent TB with a lifetime risk of 5 to 10% of developing active TB.

According to research HIV co‑infection, smoking and malnutrition greatly increase this risk and speed up the TB epidemic.

Despite advances in TB diagnostics, millions of patients continue to receive an incomplete or delayed diagnosis, as the physical signs and symptoms of TB are nonspecific.

Professor Keertan Dheda, the head of UCT’s Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity said the new diagnostic pathway called A‑Patch includes nano sensors, can detect TB compounds emitted from the skin. Dheda said a specifically designed sensor array translates these findings into a point‑of‑care diagnosis by discriminating between active pulmonary TB patients and controls with sensitivity above 90% and 70% specificity. “This fulfils the World Health Organization triage test requirements and has the potential to become a TB triage or screening test,” said Dheda.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain.

READ: University of Pretoria Researcher’s Team Discovers New Compounds With The Potential To Eliminate Malaria

The bacteria that cause TB are spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Most people infected with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis don’t have symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they usually include a cough (sometimes blood-tinged), weight loss, night sweats and fever. Treatment isn’t always required for those without symptoms. Patients with active symptoms will require a long course of treatment involving multiple antibiotics.

The study, titled “Profiles of volatile biomarkers detect tuberculosis from skin”, was recently published in the Advanced Science journal.

READ: Africa Must Have Research And Treatment Tailored To Its Reality

To create a robust tool for TB diagnosis, the study used samples of 320 people in Cape Town and 316 in New Delhi in India were processed and analysed.

The study population included newly diagnosed and confirmed pulmonary-active TB cases, healthy volunteers, and confirmed non‑TB cases.

Dheda said the study was a further step toward assimilation of the developed sensor­‑based system to be applied in real‑time at healthcare facilities without the need for expensive laboratory equipment.

“Implementing the sensor array approach into an adhesive bandage is an additional step toward a simple and cost‑effective wearable patch to address the TB epidemic in both developing and developed countries,” he said. “This platform is expected to provide the foundation for the development of a wide variety of low‑end and high‑end wearable patches that can detect a wide variety of diseases and illnesses detectable by ‘sniffing’ the corresponding skin‑emitted compounds.”

Dheda said two in five TB patients globally remain undetected and thus good community‑based screening tools for TB are urgently required.

“Many existing diagnostic tests are slow, have low sensitivity and/or specificity, and at times are too expensive or complex for resource‑limited settings.

“For example, a sputum smear is too insensitive, and mycobacterial culture takes four to eight weeks and at least two to three visits by the patient to finalise the diagnosis and begin treatment. This process is time‑consuming, labour‑intensive, requires highly trained technicians, and the method is based on challenging specimen collection and processing, both of which can greatly affect the sensitivity,” said Dheda.