Health app designed to make schools safer during Covid-19

Teacher Connect, a new health app especially designed for learners and teachers, has been launched.

It’s a free, real time-based mentorship platform available via WhatsApp that’s been set up to keep schools – and the people using them – safer during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Teacher Connect serves as a help desk and offers users the ability to connect and complete their daily prescreening health check. It is integrated with Health Check – the Covid-19 digital risk assessment and mapping tool that enables the Department of Health to track and monitor potential cases.

Uniquely, the app also enables learning and mentoring via real-time dashboards.

Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education, launched Teacher Connect on Tuesday, September 9 at Lemoshanang Teacher Development Centre in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.

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“This is a one-stop digital solution for teachers and learners in the time of Covid-19 pandemic,” explained the minister.

“It will greatly assist in the phased reopening of all schools. This tool helps us to align with the health department’s protocols on screening, testing and linkages to care.

“It puts the non-pharmaceutical measures firmly in the hands of the schooling community, teachers, non-teaching staff, parents and learners,” Motshekga added.

“This is part and parcel of our final onslaught against Covid-19, as we gradually open our economy while also putting everything in place to protect our education and all its related benefits.

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“We think it will give some confidence to parents and caregivers about all the different safety measures that we are putting in place to ensure that our children, in particular, and our teachers and entire school community remain safe.”

How it works

In order to access the app, teachers, parents and learners must first save the Teacher Connect app number – 060 060 3333 – on their phones.

Then to log in on the platform, you’ll need to conduct a health check by answering a few questions relating to Covid-19 symptoms and risk.

Teachers, learners and the entire school community are required to take the health screen test all the time. Before entering the school premises, learners and staff should show that they have completed the daily health check and are then cleared to continue into the school premises.

Anyone classified as moderate or high risk will be entered into the health department’s tracking and tracing process.