Basic Education concerned at KZN dropout projections
KwaZulu-Natal is projected to have the highest number of Grade 7 and 12 dropouts as a result of the prolonged lockdown.
This is according to a presentation delivered to the Basic Education Committee in Parliament on Tuesday.
According to the department, close to 39 000 Grade 7 pupils are not expected to return to school, while close to 19 000 Grade 12s are also projected to drop out.
READ: KZN schools under focus during oversight visits
The department’s director-general Mathanzima Mweli says the stats, although not finalised, are quite concerning.
“We know that experts have warned that if learners stay too long at home, the likelihood is that some of them will drop out of the system. Early pregnancy social ills such as drugs taking their toll on some of these learners.”
A total of 3 270 learners have been infected with coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic while 10 000 educators have also contracted the deadly virus.
