Opening schools poser

THE Presidential directive for examination classes to resume on June 1 has been received with mixed feelings among parents and guardians following the continued surge in Covid-19 cases. The decision has excited some parents who feel as long as schools put in place adequate safety measures to avoid exposing the children to the virus, they […]

Opening schools poser
THE Presidential directive for examination classes to resume on June 1 has been received with mixed feelings among parents and guardians following the continued surge in Covid-19 cases. The decision has excited some parents who feel as long as schools put in place adequate safety measures to avoid exposing the children to the virus, they were okay with it. Others, on the other hand, are apprehensive about letting their children return to school because they feared they could be exposed to the virus given the escalating Covid-19 cases in the country. This is expected and whichever way one prefers to look at the matter, neither those who stand ready to let their children go back to school nor those who are afraid of allowing them, should be blamed. But while it’s true that Covid-19 cases are on the rise, it is also important that examination classes do not get disrupted beyond the present status quo. Yes, Covid-19 is a highly contagious and deadly pandemic that is capable of spreading like wild fire but it is also important to understand that to date, it is still uncertain when or how long it will take to contain the virus. As alluded to on this same platform before, this virus has seen the best scientific brains in the world guessing – searching for treatment but to no avail so far. Question is, if examination classes don’t resume on June 1 what happens? When next would they open and what happens to the rest of the school calendar? It’s because of such complexities that President Edgar Lungu and his Government resolved that examination classes resume “under the new normal,” subject to school authorities upholding the highest standards of hygiene as well as the public health regulations. In other words, for as long as pupils observe social distancing both in and outside classes, avoid handshakes, sanitise their hands frequently, among others, the risks of being exposed to the pandemic will be minimised. The buck therefore stops at school authorities! The onus is on them to ensure pupils seriously observe the public health regulations while at the same time creating a conducive, safe and healthy learning environment for them. School managements would have to assure parents, especially those who are apprehensive about exposing their children to the pandemic that they will be safe and protected by ensuring a clean and healthy environment. We are mindful that many schools might be faced with persistent water shortages to ensure toilets are clean, adequately stocked with sanitisers or soap, among others hiccups.   No doubt they will need support of Government and other private sector players who have so far shown admirable good will in the Covid-19 battle. But even so, school authorities should not sit on their laurels, they should instead start working on these setbacks between now and June 1, otherwise, they might face a backlash from parents. We therefore suggest that all schools be disinfected before pupils resume classes as part of the preventive safety measures besides pupils and teachers adhering to the public health control measures. We also are not unmindful that some schools cannot manage to do this from their own meagre resources given the inability by some parents to consistently pay user fees, worse amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Against this backdrop, we urge the government and private sector to consider helping disinfect all the schools in the country and if possible to provide them with sanitisers from the donated consignments just for starters. Thereafter schools should be encouraged to buy and stock sanitisers as this is how life will be under the new normal. Whether parents should not let their children return to school on June 1 depends on how well schools will prepare to protect children from being exposed to the virus between now and the opening date. The Sun