October school holiday to go ahead as planned

Basic education minister, Angie Motshekga has confirmed that the 2021 school calendar will not be changed and the October holiday will still go as planned. Minister Angie was speaking at a media briefing on Sunday.

This follows after the department had earlier proposed that the October school holiday must be scrapped because of the schooling days that were lost as result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Motshekga said after consulting with all role players, it was decided that the t school calendar must go as planned and not change.

Minister Angie also mentioned that the unpredicted academic losses because of the pandemic would negatively affect learner’s ability to advance in their careers and earning in the near future.

“Of particular concern are the learning losses reported across the system since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The unpredicted closure of schools and unplanned disruptions to teaching and learning have resulted in the reversal of gains made in the last 20 years. Unfortunately, research indicates that lost school days lead to forgone learning. Our international experience and research has confirmed that learning losses, experienced during the pandemic, lead to long-term adverse effects including learners obtaining lower overall education values and ultimately lower lifetime earnings.” The minister said.

 

Done by: Yandisa Qwabe