Pupils must be kept out of school until September, according to a report released by the South African Institute of Race Relations.
Head of policy research at the institution Dr Anthea Jeffery, who penned the report, warned that children could be silent carriers of the Coronavirus by virtue of not exhibiting symptoms of the disease.
She said kids could transmit Covid-19 to vulnerable people unknowingly.
“Even if the return to school is delayed until September, the remainder of the school year can arguably still be salvaged via the home learning that will have been completed, through the extra afternoon and Saturday lessons that can then be provided, and by delaying most examinations until late in December,” the report states.
Last week Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said the “proposed date” for reopening of schools, for Grade 12 and 7 pupils at first, was 1 June.
LESSONS: Angie Motshekga
She said the reopening would be done in phases to minimise Coronavirus infections.
While the Economin Freedom Fighters has called the move “reckless and homicidal”, the Public Servants Association, representing educators and administrative staff in schools, expressed concern about the plan to accommodate 40 pupils in a classroom, saying this won’t allow for social distancing.
Motshekga did stress that this was a provisional plan and dependent on all the correct protocols being put in place to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.
Jeffery’s report, titled Lifting the Lockdown Now, also argued strongly in favour of the opening of the economy, saying that available data demonstrated that the Level 5 hard lockdown “has not stopped community transmission to date and therefore cannot be expected to do so in the future”.
Estimates showed that the economic cost under Level 5 ranged from R13-R20bn a day.