Our monitoring system indicates that 2.3% (34) of our schools closed as a result of today’s industrial strike action.

13.7% of educators were absent from work.

There were 13 isolated incidents of intimidation and violence in the province, all of which were dealt with effectively by the police in an effective manner.

This kind of unlawful activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances and we call on all striking educators to act in a responsible and calm manner.

We encourage parents and caregivers to continue to send their children to school.

Our main objective is to ensure their safety and protection, and to ensure teaching and learning continues wherever possible.

Tomorrow, we will announce the provincial government’s multi-faceted strike management plan, which will include specific interventions to help our Grade 12 learners and the provision of learning materials to learners so that they can continue reading, writing and calculating.

I would like to thank district officials for their effective monitoring of absenteeism levels and for ensuring that learners were supervised wherever possible.

I would also like to thank any school governing body members and parents who have stepped in to assist.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and protect the interests of learners and teachers who are in school teaching.

For enquiries, contact Bronagh Casey:  072 724 1422 or brcasey@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za