New directives gazetted by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, under the Disaster Management Act state that primary school learners will resume daily attendance in July.
The minister has also suspended all contact sports after a few schools reported outbreaks of COVID-19 recently.
Also read: Panic as two schools in Gauteng close
Revised regulations that were gazetted on Friday means a push for normality despite the country’s impending third-wave warnings.
[MEDIA STATEMENT] New Directions on the return to daily attendance of learners in primary schools@ReginahMhaule @ElijahMhlanga @HubertMweli pic.twitter.com/fYG4xSn8KR
— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) May 29, 2021
Meanwhile, the National Professional Teacher’s Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), is calling on the Department of Basic Education to include teachers on their list to receive the COVID-19 vaccines.
The revised risk-adjusted strategy will mean primary school learners from Grade R to 7 are to return to regular schooling from 26 July.
The regulation also includes schools with special needs pupils and one of the ways the department aims to reduce the spread of infection is to have teachers rotating between lessons and not pupils.
The decision for schools to return has been met with concern from educators and parents who are worried about the high numbers of learners in classes.
The more I read this, the more I get confused. Soon teachers will be blamed for problems that are to come? You are contradicting what the Health department is saying about the third wave. You took strict measures when things were bad but now when theyre worse you relax measures.
— Alphy (@Alphy88081485) May 29, 2021
The situation in township schools has not improved, how do you expect 50 learners in class to do social distancing on daily basis????
— emong wa Dihosha, KUBU (@ItumelengSek) May 29, 2021
Don’t understand this logic, when there were fewer cases they must rotate but now in the 3rd wave everyone must go everyday, you are putting the educators and parents in danger..
— Nadia (@Nadia10087351) May 29, 2021



