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THE DA is compiling papers to bring an urgent interdict to direct schools to open fully, John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, said on Wednesday.
He said government’s 1m distance policy for schools means that most schools are forced to operate on a rotational basis whereby each schoolchild only attends school 50% of the time.
This policy is irrational, unjustifiable, unfair and downright outrageous, said Steenhuisen.
“There is no justification for continuing with rotational schooling. In the current South African context, this policy is devoid of any benefit in reducing infections,” said Steenhuisen.
“The purpose of the policy was to enable 1m social distancing in classrooms, to thereby take pressure off the health system by slowing the spread of the virus. Yet, the health system has not been under pressure from the virus during the fourth wave.”
Steenhuisen said unlike many other countries, there is a very high level of natural immunity in the SA population, driven by a high rate of prior infection.
This immunity is now considered by scientists to be in the region of 70-90% of the SA population.
Therefore, Covid hospitalisations have been much lower than previous waves. And even so, 50% of them have been incidental, meaning people were admitted for non-Covid reasons and then happened to test positive, so did not require ventilation or Covid ICU bed space.
Steenhuisen said the risk to schoolchildren that accrues from them missing school far outweighs the benefit to those in the high-risk group that accrues from having schoolchildren on a rotational schooling system.
There is evidence of schoolchildren losing 57-81% of their reading ability due to rotational schooling.
Most schoolchildren lost over 50% of their schooling in 2020 and 2021.
Hundreds of thousands have dropped out of school altogether as a result of the indirect effects of Covid regulations.
In 2021 alone, some 370 000 to 700 000 learners dropped out of school, adding to the already burgeoning ranks of youth not in education, employment or skills training.
UNICEF South Africa representative Christine Muhigana says: “The reality is that South Africa cannot afford to lose another learner or another hour of learning time. It is urgent that we get every child back into the classroom, safely, now.”
He said rotational schooling is also causing mental distress, increased exposure to violence and abuse, and increased malnutrition from missed school meals.
“All of which have long-term consequences for the health and well-being of this and future generations.
There is a need to balance the rights of the high-risk group to health with the rights of children to education,” said Steenhuisen.
“However, those individuals who have a high-risk of severe disease or death from Covid have the option of getting vaccinated. There is no supply or access problem with vaccines. And there is evidence that vaccines are highly effective at providing protection from severe disease and death.
Unvaccinated individuals in the high-risk group have chosen this risk.”
* Inside Education