Cape Town - The education sector will be buzzing in the coming weeks as schools reopen for the 2023 academic year and soon after, prepare for the release of the matric exam results.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has stated its readiness to welcome back teachers and school-based staff to school on January 16.
They are expected to finalise timetabling schedules, class lists and curriculum plans.
Pupils will return on January 18.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department had prepared well for the start of the new school year with the aim to ensure that teaching and learning began from day one.
“We look forward to their return and welcome all new learners entering the system. Schools were provided with the opportunity to order top-up textbooks for the 2023 school year as early as May 2022. The orders were fully delivered to schools by October 28, 2022. This amounted to R62.6 million.
“This year we start the school year afresh with a sense of optimism and hope, and with renewed energy. Our focus will continue to be on recovering the learning losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the improvement of quality education for every learner, in every classroom, in every school in the province,” said Hammond.
She added that the focus last year was to “Get Back on Track” with, among other initiatives, additional hours being invested into reading and mathematics at school each week to reverse learning losses in grades 1 to 3.
She acknowledged that the recovery period would take some time, but they were working hard to ensure gains in each grade.
Cape Times