Ramaphosa: Schools to close for four weeks
All public schools are set to
close from 27 July to August 24, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in an
address to the nation on Thursday evening.
Matric pupils and educators will only take a one-week break and return on 3 August Grade seven learners will take a two-week break and return to class on 10 August.
Closing and reopening dates of public schools. pic.twitter.com/646u5tdORX
— ECR_Newswatch (@ECR_Newswatch) July 23, 2020
Ramaphosa also confirmed that the academic year would be extended beyond 2020.
“We have taken a deliberately cautious approach to keep schools closed during a period when the country is expected to experience its greatest increase in infections,” Ramaphosa said.
South Africa now has the fifth highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, with 408,052 infections.
“I am aware that this arrangement will disappoint many learners who want to be back at school and may cause inconvenience and difficulty for many families who need to make alternative childcare arrangements,” Ramaphosa said.
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“We ask you to do this because we believe it is important to ensure that schools do not become sites of transmission at a time when infections are rising fast.”
“I want to thank all of our teachers and other staff at schools across the country who have been on the frontline during this pandemic under conditions of great difficulty.”
Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga will provide further details on the management of the remainder of the school year in the coming days.
Listen to the full speech here:
