Did you support the decision?
It's not a question of supporting, it's a question of balancing. You have to manage the virus but at the same time ensure that learners are at school. I think the president balanced it very well.
But pupils won't be at school.
That's not of our own making, it's about a virus that we knew nothing about three months ago.
You said the decision on schools must be "expert driven". Was it?
Yes, the ministerial advisory committee (MAC) said we need to close schools to manage the virus.
Didn't the MAC chair, the chief state expert on the virus, say schools must stay open?
It's not for him alone to say, he works with a collective. If the collective feels the schools must close it's their decision. If that's their advice we must accept it.
Who told you that was the majority view of the MAC?
In every public presentation the president says they're guided by the experts. Why should I doubt him?
Why are your schools not able to comply with health protocols?
I can't account for other provinces, but 99% of our schools are fully compliant.
So shouldn't they be allowed to stay open?
We are fighting a health enemy, and if experts in that field say we must close, regardless of whether we're compliant, because they feel we're entering a storm, we must listen to them.
Shouldn't you listen to the chief state expert on the virus, who says in fact schools must open?
His team has recommended that schools must close.
Hasn't the South African Paediatric Association said children are better served by being at school?
I concur. Because at school children are in an organised setup where they are screened when they arrive and sanitise and observe social distancing and . get something to eat. If you close schools you are taking them to a setup that is not organised, where there is no social distancing. But if you're a government that must listen to the fears of parents and community leaders, what must you do? You must balance. And if closing for a month is the best balance, who am I to challenge that decision?
Shouldn't the interests of the children come first?
Their safety must also come first.
Didn't you say your schools are safe?
They're safe inside the classroom, but not in an environment where the virus is ravaging communities. Schools are part of a community.
What about children who don't have access to online learning?
I'm angry about that part.
Shouldn't parents whose children have no access be angry with you for closing their schools?
I don't have power over that. The power lies with the National Coronavirus Command Council, it lies with the president, and he has made that pronouncement.
Did the threat of disruptions influence the decision?
The reality is there were disruptions in every community in Gauteng where schools were open. Where there was no schooling there were no disruptions. But the decision to close didn't come out of bullying.
