Sol Plaatje must turn streetlights on for festive season
| by Fawzia Rhoda, MPL – DA Constituency Head of Bo-Karoo |
| Date: 12 August 2020 |
| Release: Immediate |
| Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite in English from Fawzia Rhoda, MPL. In light of alarming allegations about non-compliance to disaster management protocols at the Richmond High School, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape calls on the Provincial Command Council to intervene and to increase monitoring of schools. This must be done to ensure that all positive cases are reported and that the necessary steps can be taken to safeguard the health of our school communities.Learners in Grade 12 attended a camp held in Victoria-West over the weekend. After the camp was over, learners were tested at a local clinic and seven learners from Richmond High School tested positive.But it now appears that learners were more proactive in responding to the medical crisis than the school management team or the Northern Cape Department of Education.Some learners confirmed their test results on social media, allowing friends or family who were in contact with them to take the necessary precautions. But the school continues with classes, as scheduled, and neither the district nor the provincial offices of the Northern Cape Department of Education has stepped in.It seems that learners who tested positive are isolated in one room at the hostel, since the hostel does not have separate facilities for quarantine or self-isolation. To minimise transmission risks in communal dining areas, hostel staff bring meals to learners. But the risk for transmission in the hostel remains high, as the seven learners continue to share ablution facilities with other learners in the hostel who had not tested positive.It is unacceptable for any school to deviate from the disaster management regulations in such a blatant way. Learners should be supported to dream their educational dreams and teachers should be supported to deliver their academic functions. It cannot be allowed that lives are exposed to risks which can easily be avoided.We cannot sit by while schools ignore the lesson plans on disaster management. |
| Media Enquiries |
| Fawzia Rhoda, MPLDA Constituency Head of Bo-Karoo082 408 8070 Tharina WhittakerResearcher071 251 5558 |
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