Education

With reference to a decision by his Department to ban water-based activities for public schools in the province:
(1) (a) Who made the decision to “ban” these activities, (b) when was the decision made, (c) why was this decision made and (d) under what authority was the decision made;
(2) (a) how many legal claims are currently pending against him, (b) of these, how many relate specifically to incidents arising from water-based school activities, (c) what is the total monetary value of these claims and (d) what portion relates to water-based activities;
(3) whether the prohibition on water-based activities is applicable to all WCED schools; if not, (a) which categories of schools are exempt and (b) on what basis are exemptions determined;
(4) (a) how many (i) schools and (ii) learners are affected by this decision, (b) what impact assessment, if any, has been conducted regarding the effect on learners’ water safety skills and (c) how does his Department intend to mitigate the loss of access to swimming and water safety education, particularly for learners in underserved communities?