Durban - Still basking in the success of the Class of 2019 who attained an 81.3% pass, MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal Kwazi Mshengu, said it was time to hit the ground running.
He was speaking at a media briefing held at Sivananda High School in KwaMashu where he announced a number of programmes that will be rolled out at schools across the province.
"As the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we anticipate welcoming 2.8 million pupils to start the 2020 academic year at our over 6 000 schooling facilities. We have ensured that all schools follow proper business processes regarding placement of pupils for the 2020 school year," he said.
Mshengu said the department has prioritised the placement of teachers per school.
"No class should be without a teacher on the first day of the school year. We expect that all our contingent of 86 000 teachers in KZN will be at school, in class and on time. All school principals and School Governing Bodies have been directed to manage this process correctly. Where there are challenges, they need to be reported to the District Offices before schools re-open for immediate intervention," he said.
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Another priority for the department was the delivery of Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM).
"It has become a norm for our department to ensure that schools have the necessary Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) on the first day of each school year. In this regard, we include LTSM for all public schools, Grade R LTSM and LTSM for pupils with special education needs such as Braille material," he said.
Mshengu announced that 100% delivery of textbooks and Learner Teacher Support Material has been concluded.
He further stated that where Learner Teacher Support Material may have been damaged during storms, stolen or vandalised during the school holidays, principals are urged to report immediately to their respective District Offices so that the department can intervene timeously.
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He said at least 144 schools that have been damaged by storms in 2019.
"We have put in place contingency measures to ensure that by the 15th January 2020, all schools that were damaged by violent storms are operational. The Department has made arrangements to supply mobile classrooms and procurement processes are at an advanced stage to provide material to rebuild the damaged schools. We want to ensure that there are no disruptions that hamper learning and teaching in our schools in this academic year," he said.