DEPUTY minister of basic education Reginah Mhaule has called on parents to send kids back to school.
On Tuesday, she visited schools in Kabokweni, Mpumalanga, to see if they were ready to open.
Mhaule was accompanied by Mpumalanga Education MEC Bonakele Majuba.
The deputy minister said parents have the right to hold back their kids if they were not sure that they’d be safe. “But we encourage them to allow kids to come to school,” she said.
Mhaule said they understood that at some schools, especially in rural areas, water and sanitation were a problem and they were working with the Department of Water and Sanitation to ensure all schools had water.
“They’ve delivered Jojo tanks to all our schools . Now we’re working with municipalities and the department where the municipality can’t provide tanks to deliver water with tankers.”
MEC Majuba said they were fumigating schools. “We are going to send money to SGBs, so they can do deep cleaning at schools.
“We’re pulling out all the stops to ensure the safety of teachers and pupils. Personal protection equipment is ready and will be send when we are about to open.”
John Hlatshwayo of the Buhle Primary School SGB said parents were not convinced. “If we allow kids to go back to school, it means we don’t love them.”
