On Wednesday evening, MEC for Education, Tate Makgoe, announced on Twitter that the meeting would take place on Thursday after a wave of concerns and the recent action by the union. 

Last week Friday, a group of people, believed to be Cosas members, allegedly removed learners from their classes amidst their protest against schools reopening. 

Cosas has been making a call for a massive Covid-19 screening in schools across the country before learners return to schools. 

Since the return of Grade 7 and 12 pupils to schools, there has been a series of reports about learners and teachers who contracted Covid-19. This has further fuelled Cosas' concerns about the reopening of schools.  

However, Makgoe recently responded to Cosas' actions in a Tweet and said: "We don’t agree with Cosas approach to disrupting our schools".  

He further said it will be impossible to test every learner and teacher across schools. He also said that the country does have that capacity.

Before today's meeting, he said: "I am upbeat that together we will find an amicable solution to the current impasse."

Meanwhile, the National Department and its Minister, Angie Motshekga, have been criticised for reopening schools amidst the Covid-19 surge in the country.

Cosas says the Department of Basic Education needs to go back to the drawing board and draw up new plans to ensure that pupils are safe at school amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) General Secretary, Mugwena Maluleke, previously said that the union had conducted its own survey and found seven provinces were not ready to resume classes.

OFM News' Olebogeng Motse previously reported that the Free State Education Department suspended learning and teaching at two Bloemfontein primary schools after educators tested positive for the coronavirus.

Motse's report further alluded that the spokesperson for the Provincial Education Department, Howard Ndaba, confirmed the Covid-19 positive educators are from Sentraal and Fauna Primary Schools in Bloemfontein.

Both schools were expected to remain closed until all grade 7 learners were screened and tested and the buildings decontaminated.

 OFM News