CALLS advising government against re-opening schools amidst the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country have heightened with Kids Alive Zambia, appealing to President Edgar Lungu to stop the planned reopening of schools by the ministry of general education.
Kids Alive Zambia Country Director Chantry Mweemba says there is need for the Head of State to intervene to avoid a national COVID- 19 calamity if schools were left to open.
Mr Mweemba saying in a statement today that re-opening schools will endanger the health and safety of thousands of school children.
“We remain concerned that a decision that may endanger the health and safety of thousands of children and their teachers across the country has been made by government through the ministry of education on the backdrop of alarming COVID- 19 statistics,” said Mr Mweemba.
He noted that since schools closed over two weeks ago, school children could have been exposed to the virus and would become super spreaders once schools re-open.
Mr Mweemba said it is thus imperative that President Lungu intervenes and stops any attempts of re-opening schools and ensure that safer measures, guidelines are put in place to guarantee safety of school children and the learning environment.
Recently, a statement purported to have been signed by Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary Jobbicks Kalumba went viral on social media indicating that schools will reopen on July 8, 2021. The development attracted concerns by sections of communities and civil society who demanded that government reconsiders its stand to re-open schools in view of rising cases of COVID-19 whose records by yesterday stood at
Six Teacher Unions have advised government against reopening schools amidst the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country.
The six teacher unions include the Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT), Secondary Schools Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ), and Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ). Others are the Professional Teachers Union of Zambia (PROTUZ), the National Union of Public and Private Educators of Zambia (NUPPEZ) and the United Teachers Union of Zambia (UNITUZ).
The unions have insisted that schools remain closed subject to review after a period of 21 days.
Speaking on behalf of other union leaders, BETUZ General Secretary Henry Sinkala notes that it is illogical for government to call for the reopening of schools at a time when the pandemic has worsened than it was during their closure.
