DA heads to court in a bid to end rotational schooling under 1m distancing rule

Midday Report host Mandy Wiener chats to the DA's Baxolile Nodada.

• The DA is compiling papers to bring an urgent interdict compelling schools to open fully

• Government’s one-metre social distancing rule at schools means that most schools are forced to operate on a rotational basis

• There have been growing calls for an end to the one-metre social distancing policy

• The DA's Baxolile Nodada says there is no justification to continue with rotational learning

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The DA says it will approach the court in a bid to force government to allow all pupils to return to school full time.

The opposition party argues that there is no justification for continuing with rotational schooling in 2022.

RELATED: Scrap 1m distancing rule at schools to allow full-time attendance - MEC Schäfer

Most schools have not been able to reopen on a full-time basis due to the government's one-metre social distancing directive.

Baxolile Nodada, the DA's shadow minister of education, says the social distancing rule at schools is resulting in significant learning losses, especially for vulnerable schoolchildren.

According to Nodada, rotational learning is exacerbating inequality in the schooling system.

RELATED: Drop rotational school attendance now! – open letter to Basic Education Minister

He claims learners in rural, township, and farming communities are losing between 50% and 80% of learning and teaching time due to rotational attendance.

Nodada says the DA's lawyers are still compiling court papers outlining the party's legal arguments.

The one-metre social distancing was only put in place for it to help the Health Department in terms of managing hospitalisations in the beginning of Covid-19... teachers were not vaccinated... and there was no indication of how we deal with learners when it comes to Covid-19.

Baxolile Nodada, Shadow Minister of Education - DA

You can already see that our education system is unequal as we speak, we are further exacerbating that problem by continuing with the rotational system... the schools that are affected the most are the ones in the poor community. It is an unfair practice.

Baxolile Nodada, Shadow Minister of Education - DA

Teachers are vaccinated... the risk is completely low... and learners over the age of 12 are being encouraged to go vaccinate.

Baxolile Nodada, Shadow Minister of Education - DA

We haven't filed the papers in court yet, we will make an announcement when we do so.

Baxolile Nodada, Shadow Minister of Education - DA

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