Education
Given the recent reports that the Gauteng Department of Education spent R431 million in just three months to “deep clean” or “decontaminate” schools:
- What is the WCED’s policy on decontamination or deep cleaning, (b) how much was spent on decontamination or deep cleaning during 2020, (c) what was the average amount spent on decontamination or deep cleaning and (d) what monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to control PPE stock at schools and district offices?
(a) When a positive case of Covid-19 is reported by a school (staff member or learner), the areas where the individual has been present within the past 72 hours are decontaminated by a service provider. Advice from health experts is that the virus does not remain viable on surfaces after 72 hours.
The WCED does not decontaminate schools before schools re-open after school holidays, as no one has been present at the schools. “Deep-cleaning” these schools would constitute wasteful and unscientific expenditure. Following the advice of health experts, schools were thoroughly cleaned by cleaning staff before schools re-opened.
(b) R2 514 on average. Total expenditure on decontamination is R2.9 million.
(c) Prior to schools re-opening after lockdown last year, a Covid-19 Steering Committee was put in place at every school, and the members trained via MS Teams.
A District Covid-19 Steering Committee was established to support the school committees. District officials went out to schools to support implementation and adherence to protocol guidelines, which include the provision of protective materials at schools.
A Covid-19 questionnaire was completed by every school on CEMIS indicating the measures to be put in place by the school to manage the spread of the virus. Principals had to sign off on the measures being in place and this is monitored by the Circuit Managers.
A special Covid-19 school visit report was also developed to check on whether safety measures were in place at schools – it is completed by district officials who visit schools.
The Schools Evaluation Authority, which was unable to undertake its planned evaluations of performance factors due to the extended closure and unusual conditions at schools, instead conducted 54 evaluations on schools’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic – including the implementation of Covid-19 protocols.
In preparation for the 2021 school year, the WCED has conducted a survey on all schools with regards to the supply of PPEs at school. Last year the WCED provided over R450 million worth of safety materials to schools, including masks, sanitiser and cleaning materials. Delivery was done in tranches to schools – with the last deliveries happening in November last year. Some schools have reported that they have “too much” and are unable to store this adequately in their schools. Therefore, districts are managing the transfer of supplies from one school to another should some report shortages.
