Hot Seating And Tents To Decongest Classes
Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Edgar Moyo said that exam classes will be attending school every day while the others will alternate days of attendance.
He revealed that as part of national strategies to decongest classrooms and ensure physical distancing, they had approached some organisations that have tents to assist schools.
Deputy Minister Moyo, however, said he was yet to get an update on how many schools have received the tents. He said:
Preparedness is an ongoing thing and we are happy with preparedness so far. Key PPEs in schools range from masks, sanitisers and disinfectants and other infrastructural considerations such as availability of classrooms and other amenities such as water.
When we look at masks it’s a tall order to supply masks for all 4,7 million pupils we have in schools. We are advising parents to provide reusable masks for learners.
If about 80 per cent of learners can afford to bring masks, then schools will assist the remaining ones who are less advantaged.
Government has availed $500 million to ensure that schools have the necessary resources when they open.
Most sanitisers have been bought and delivered to some schools. However, procurement is an ongoing process.
We visited a number of schools in order to assess the level of preparedness and all had disinfectants and sanitisers or washing soap.
What is now outstanding are the masks which we hope that parents will provide for most children.
Deputy Minister Moyo said learning space remained a problem and schools have been instructed to continue with hot seating in order to decongest classes.
Schools open today for examination classes and the rest will resume classes on 6 September.
