Department of Education Extranet

Return of the next cluster of Grades

The Northern Cape Department of Education is ready to welcome back the bulk of our learners on Monday, 24 August 2020. We have prepared for the return of 216 754 learners across all Grades, except for Grade 5 and 8, which will return on the 31st of August 2020.

We have deployed Members of the Executive Council,  PROVJOINT members as well as Senior Management of the Department to schools in all five Districts where they will monitor and assess the return of the next cluster of Grades. These visits will enable the Department to ensure that we immediately address the challenges that might arise at some schools.

All schools received their required personal protective equipment inline with the COVID-19 regulations and guidelines. Schools revised their timetables according to the model they have opted to use in terms of platooning, alternative days/weeks and the hybrid model to maintain social distancing in the classroom and school premises.

To ensure academic support to learners with comorbidities, learners with ill-health, those exempted from attending school and those learning through virtual/online platforms, the Northern Cape Department of Education has developed Learner Support Packages for each subject in all Grades to ensure continued learning. The Learner Support Packages have been developed to be Self-Study Packages that should be accessible and are easy to follow (written) instructions. The Learner Support Packages are currently being printed and will be distributed to all Districts by next week.

All our efforts are geared towards saving the school academic year, with a specific focus on our Grade 12 learners. We have identified 7 centres across the Province, where approximately 3000 Grade 12 learners will be incubated for a period of 3-4 months. We are busy finalising all the arrangements in this regard as these camps will function as normal schools where teaching, learning and assessments will be prioritised. The incubation camps are necessary to ensure that learners are well prepared and ready for the 2020 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations.

Through its National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), the Department continues to provide a daily nutritious meal to learners. The Department has also made provision for learners to collect cooked meals from their nearest school, in this instance learners who aren’t yet able to either get back to school or who made arrangements for home education.

We are encouraging parents to send their children to school and remind parents that they must apply via the school to the Head of the Department for exemption from attendance if the child has underlying medical conditions; or if they have concern for family members that are over 60 years; or have underlying medical conditions; or if parents opt for their children to receive online learning and teaching at home. We must reiterate that if parents opt to keep their children at home, it is their responsibility for their child's learning at home and they should ensure that they collect learning material every week from the school and submit the work back to the school on a weekly basis for marking and assessment.

We would also like to express a word of appreciation especially to our parents and learners for their commitment towards education. Yes, it is important for learners to attend school and we have put in place the necessary systems and precautionary measures to ensure their health and safety. Our educators have been at the forefront and relentless in their efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, and for that we are very grateful. We will continue to provide our unwavering support to all our schools as we navigate through this difficult period. 

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