Halala: October School Holidays Remain in Place, Says Angie Motshekga

• Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga recently revealed that school holidays in October will go on as usual
• The news follows an outcry by students and parents about the alleged removal of the October vacation time
• Motshekga was briefing the media on Sunday, 29 August regarding her department's response to schooling and the Covid-19 pandemic

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga on Sunday confirmed that the amended 2021 school calendar will be retained as it was from the last amendment. Motshekga was addressing journalists during a media briefing.

The minister revealed that the October holidays will not be tampered with. This comes despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in between 50% to 75% of learning time being lost last year.

According to IOL, the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) advised that the number of school days lost should be recuperated through district and school levels with tenability. Motshekga revealed that the CEM met just before the weekend to contemplate ideas from stakeholders.

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A report by News24 revealed that Motshekga was thankful that the department is now able to measure Covid-19 related learning issues in local circumstances. This is done by comparing how much was learnt last year with how much was previously learnt, on average, in school before the pandemic.

The report continued by explaining that students in less fortunate communities face more issues due to the fact that they do not have access to remote learning. Many of these students don't have support in their homes either.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says school sporting events will resume

Briefly News previously reported that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has given the green light for sporting events to resume at schools after schools reopened under adjusted Level 3 lockdown regulations.

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In a gazette issued over the weekend, Motshekga made an allowance for contact and non-contact sports as well as arts and culture events to resume, according to a report by News24. These events have been given the go-ahead, however, no spectators will be allowed to attend.

According to the gazette, pupils are now allowed to travel to other schools as well as other provinces to take part in national, provincial and district championships and tournaments, according to TimesLIVE.

Oral history, spelling bees, moot court, speech contests and debates, among other co-curricular and enrichment events, may resume, according to new regulations issued by the Department of Basic Education.

Source: Briefly News