The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has come out in support of Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) decision to return primary school learners (Grades R to 7) to the daily attendance and traditional timetabling model from 26 July 2021.

Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee supports the decision, as long as the department can ensure that there is a safe and secure environment to go back to school.

On Tuesday, the committee received a presentation from the DBE on the status of school preparedness following the directions issued recently by the department that provide clarity on the date of the return of all learners in primary schools.

Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee noted the loss in learning hours that has already occurred in the 2021 school year due to the academic year starting later, with the majority of learners not attending five days of schooling per week, as they were using a rotational system.

The committee also heard that DBE has identified the key issues that are most likely to compromise compliance with health protocols and organised it into 14 dashboard indicators.

These include facilities, adequate water, basic sanitation and hygiene packages, special schools, number of infrared thermometers, learner transport, schools’ nutrition programme, the number of screeners, provision of COVID-19 essentials, psychosocial support to learners and staff, quality of learning and teaching campaign (QLTC), and communication.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga informed the committee that the department’s decisions on the return to school, is done in consultation with the Department of Health.

Motshekga noted that, should the Health Department advise otherwise, the department will reconsider and revise its position regarding the daily return of learners.

Regarding the Grade 12 class of 2021, the Minister said education authorities will try to keep the learners in school for as long as possible, in order to try to cover the gaps.

Minister Motshekga told the committee that they are Grade 11s of 2020 and already the whole curriculum was not covered adding that they lost close to 60% of school time over the period.

The committee further heard that the department is in consultation with the South African Weather Services regarding the winter period, which tends to lead to more people contracting colds and flu.

Most parts of the country will have above-normal rainfalls with above average minimum and maximum temperature expected.

Thousands of students at various institutions of higher learning remain in limbo over the status of their funding by the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) and are now unable to sit for their first-semester examination.

Close to 23 000 students applied for funding for the 2021 academic year, but only about 16 000 qualify for the NSFAF funding.

Those who applied for state funding at the beginning of the year are now complaining they have been negatively affected by NSFAF, as the institution failed to provide the validation list of those to be awarded study loans and grants.

NSFAF received N$1.2 billion in this year’s budget. Last year, it received N$1.5 billion.

Students Union of Namibia (SUN), with student leaders from various higher institutions of learning, on Monday engaged NSFAF management and higher education executive director Alfred van Kent regarding the release of names of awarded students for 2021.

In an interview with New Era, SUN spokesperson Penda Nakawa confirmed NSFAF and Van Kent indicated to them during the meeting that the list cannot be released at the moment, as arrangements to secure funds are being made.

Contacted for comment, Van Kent confirmed Monday’s meeting with SUN and other student representatives from various institutions on the funding issue.

However, he was quick to point out that the main issue delaying the release of names is the aspect of funding, which is not sufficient to cater for close to 16 000 qualified applicants.

New Era has been reliably informed that NSFAF, at the moment, can only fund about 8 500 applicants.

Van Kent indicated once the technical team presents their report on the matter, the ministry will communicate its official stance on the funding crisis.

According to him, the technical team is expected to report back to the higher education and finance ministries.

NSFAF CEO Kennedy Kandume said they have completed the validation list for those who qualified for funding.

SUN’s stance is that NSFAF immediately releases the list of the awarded students to allow them to sit for their exams.

Nakawa said, “As we speak, students are traumatised and confused, as they see their future being destroyed due to NSFAF delaying in assisting needy students as per their mandate. It does not sit well with us that from January until today (half a year), NSFAF is unable to release the list”.

SUN equally calls for the intervention of the minister of higher education, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, in this saga.

The University of Namibia’s main campus student representative council for external affairs Gerson Shikukumwa said as a custodian of students, he thinks it is not fair to reject students who have met NSFAF funding criteria.

Florida has become the latest US state to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female sports at public schools and colleges.

The state’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed the measure into law on Tuesday.

The law says women and girls must play on the teams of the biological sex on their birth certificate.

Governor DeSantis said “We believe that is very important that the integrity of these competitions are preserved,” as he signed the law at a Christian school in Jacksonville city.

“We’re gonna go based on biology, not based on ideology when we’re doing sports.”

The move comes as Republican-led states push back against pro-LGBT policies supported by the administration of Democratic US President Joe Biden.

Florida’s law defines an athlete’s sex as that stated on official documents at birth.

Called the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, the law says sports teams for girls and women “may not be open to students of the male sex”.

It is not clear whether all female athletes must now show their birth certificates to be in sports teams.

The law would not bar female athletes from playing on boys or men’s teams.

The law also allows students to take legal action against the school if they feel it has violated the act and “deprived” them “of an athletic opportunity”.

Supporters of the bill say transgender female athletes have an unfair advantage, having been designated male at birth but having since transitioned.

The law will apply to public secondary and high schools, colleges and universities when it comes into effect on 1 July.

England’s catch-up plans worth £1.4bn for school pupils have been accused of being not as exciting or effective as expected by head teachers.

The funding will mostly be spent on tutoring sessions to make up for learning lost in the pandemic.

But the plans are much more limited than the £13.5bn which the Education Policy Institute (EPI) had calculated would be required.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We will do everything we can to support children who have fallen behind.”

The catch-up plan, with £1.4bn extra over three years in addition to the £1.7bn already announced, will include £1bn for 100 million hours of tutoring and £250m for teacher training and development.

Tutoring will be targeted at those considered most in need of support, often provided in small groups, but it will not be an entitlement for all pupils.

The EPI, which warned that primary pupils had lost up to two months of learning in reading and three months in maths, said the extra funding amounted to £50 per pupil per year – a tenth of what it estimated was needed.

There had been reports the recovery plan would be much bigger and include a longer school day – but funding for any further catch-up proposals will now depend on the next spending review.

But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told UK media that an extended school day was “very much still on the agenda”.

Asked about whether the funding was less than required, Williamson said the catch-up plan was based on the evidence of what works – and that tutoring “does actually deliver” and should not be the “preserve of a few”.

He said the £1.4bn was a “pretty hefty amount” and would “have a direct impact on children”.

The education secretary said suggestions of shorter summer holidays were no longer being considered.

Sources close to the talks said the Treasury was reluctant to sign off on such a big upfront commitment.

In response, a Whitehall source said: “Together with DfE [Department for Education] we will work out what exactly is needed in terms of extra time for children’s catch up – as well as what teachers and parents think is best and will work too.

“It’s right for both children and the taxpayer that we know what we’re buying before we spend.”

The prime minister announced the school funding as the “next step in our long-term catch up plan”.