On Monday, July 6, 2020, more pupils are expected to go back to schools around South Africa. However, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has reconsidered the number of grades to return to the brick-and-mortar classrooms.

In this latest SA schools phased-in reopening update, DBE consulted with the Council of Education Ministers (CEM). In its media statement, DBE stated that:

“After careful consideration of all the reports  CEM took a decision that only Grade 6, Grade 11 and Grade R will return to school on Monday, 06th July 2020. The decision affects all provinces. The other grades will be phased during the month of July in a differentiated approach within the stipulated time frames as per the gazette of 29 June 2020 as published by the Minister.”

That means Grades 1, 2, 3 and LSEN (learners with special educational needs) have been held back and have to wait until it is conducive to make a return back to school yards.

Angie Motshekga, DBE Minister, said the rethink of the decision was due to the exponential rise of coronavirus cases across the country, especially in the main centers of the economy.

In the schooling system currently, (only) grade 7s and 12s opened at the beginning of June after prolonged talks with various stakeholders.

Be that as it may, the Eastern Cape (EC) government vowed to lobby the national department to postpone bringing in other grades back to schools in July. The EC province is facing calamitous disaster due to the lack of capacity in its healthcare facilities.

In the same vein, on July 2, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the return of more grades back to schools may put the strain in its health system already under pressure. He stopped short of calling for deferring next week’s return of the second-group of pupils in schools physical environment.

With grade 7s and 12s in schools currently, Makhura cautioned, the Gauteng government is coping well but uncertain what will happen as the Covid-19 cases are accelerating at an alarming rate.

The DBE June 30 report indicated that 775 schools were affected by the surge of Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile 1, 169 educators and 523 pupils tested positive in South Africa to the pandemic swept the entire world by storm. SSExMotshekga highlighted that the “risk-adjusted strategy” to open the doors of formal learning in schools will be guided by the increasing number of infections in the country. On Sunday, a day before July 6, she will announce the Department of Basic Education’s latest tactics.