Department of Basic Education

I am writing this review on behalf of my domestic worker. She has a son in Grade 3 and even though kids can now return to school her son goes to school for two days in one week and then three days the next week. He has lost 50% and more of teaching time and this is going to create huge problems for him going forward as only parts of the curriculum have been covered and he will be at a disadvantage for years to come. Whether these lapses and curriculum cuts will ever be overcome is highly questionable. Even though the DBE did not teach kids in January they insisted that parents had to pay for January and the full fees for the year even though kids are only taught 50% of the time. This is absolutely disgusting and shows scant regard for the children OR their parents in these times of huge unemployment, job losses, etc. In more than 25 years of democracy the DBE has still not gotten rid of all pit latrines at schools and classes are so full that this is the "solution" they have come up with for the children of our country. I have been a teacher for many years and have been lucky enough to teach the IEB curriculum at a private school. During the lockdown and even when restrictions were lifted, we did not lose any academic time, either teaching online, in class and sometimes both simultaneously. In adddition the bus/taxi services' costs for these kids and their parents have NOT been decreased. They pay exactly the same whether their children go to school every day or just 5 days every two weeks. Such outrageous exploitation. It is UNBELIEVABLE. In addition the DBE were so happy with the matric results. As a former examiner and marker for the IEB and KZN Education Department I have seen results and can assure you that many changes are made and marks increased to satisfy the needs of the education officials. This is NOT a true reflecton of what we see before results are handed over to them. Shame on you DBE, shame on YOU!