A secondary school in Durban's phoenix district has caught the attention of its provincial education department for all the wrong reasons after it allegedly allowed a learner who tested positive for Covid-19 to enter its premises and write examinations.
The KZN Department of Education has launched an investigation against the school to look into a possible violation of the Disaster Management Act, as this is said to have posed a risk to the health of other pupils and teachers who were in contact with the pupil.
According to Newzroom Afrika reporter, Karinda Jagmohan, this incident has happened twice at the school involving two matric learners on two separate occasions last month and earlier this month. However, the overall consequences of the offence are yet to be determined according to Jagmohan.
Some of the procedural protocols that the school is supposed to have followed include: immediately altering the school's district management as well as making sure that the infected pupil is isolated.
Jagmohan adds that the education department does allow pupils who have tested positive for Covid-19 to write examinations under the condition that all isolation requirements are met.
The province has seen a considerable rise in Covid-19 infections over the past two months, particularly in July due to the civil unrest that happened during that period.
This contravention of the disaster management act is also reported to have been brought up by the Democratic Alliance during a sitting held by the provincial legislature, which also resulted in the South African Police Service launching its own investigation into the matter.
Any disciplinary action to be taken against the school will be determined based on the outcome of both investigations.
