The Swaziland (eSwatini) Government is to reopen
schools from coronavirus lockdown even though it admits the number of
infections and deaths is increasing.
Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini called the increase in
cases a ‘surge’ in
a statement on Tuesday (23 June 2020). ‘We are
dealing with a highly unpredictable virus,’ he said.
He added, ‘We are dealing with an evolving situation
which still presents a lot of uncertainty.’
He also announced a U-turn on easing the lockdown across
the kingdom. The wholesale distribution
of alcohol would be once again banned. It had previously been
banned and then unbanned. Swaziland has been in
partial lockdown since 27 March 2020.
A total of 674 people had tested positive and seven
died in Swaziland of coronavirus (COVID-19) as of 23 June 2020, according to official
Ministry of Health figures. By 1 June there had been 293
confirmed cases and three deaths.
Dlamini said, ‘Over the past two weeks we have seen an
unfortunate surge of positive cases in the country which suggests that we have
to review some of these easing measures to avoid overwhelming our health
system.’
The government has also reissued a declaration under
the Disaster Management Act and is reviewing its COVID-19 response plan. The
Prime Minister said the government did not have money to implement its plan and
appealed to international donors for help.
Dlamini said schools would start to reopen on 6 July
2020. Previously a date
of 1 July had been set.
Dlamini said, ‘Educational Institutions remain a
critical sector towards socio-economic development. Schools and Educational
Institutions cannot remain closed for ever. If the academic year is not ended
it may suggest bigger challenges later on as schools may not have the capacity
to enrol new Grade 1 pupils. The system would be clogged up. One lost academic
year can lead to unprecedented socio-economic challenges such as gaps in labour
market skill-sets in subsequent years.’
He said schools would get guidelines on how to reopen
safely. ‘Government’s focus is to ensure and secure a safe and seamless
transition back to quality teaching and learning,’ he said.
Later, Ministry
of Education and Training Principal Secretary Bertram Steward issued an
announcement calling
all high school teachers in Swaziland to return to work on
Monday to undergo training ahead of the reopening.
Previously, Education and Training Minister Lady
Howard-Mabuza said that teachers were contractually
obligated to make up for the lost learning time as they had
been receiving full payment of salaries.
Separately, she told the Swazi
House of Assembly schools needed E56 million (US$3.2
million) to reopen to purchase materials, including personal protective
equipment. A budget has been submitted to the Cabinet.
The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT)
has already drawn up a list
of issues it wanted addressed before schools could safely
reopen. They included schools to be disinfected, all children tested for
coronavirus, a nurse on site at every school and the transportation of learners
to conform with social distance requirements. The marking of class work and
sharing of books should be also be discontinued, SNAT said.
SNAT has also said the government was shifting
responsibility to ensure schools were safe to individual teachers, headteachers
and parent.
See also
Delay in
reopening Swaziland schools as coronavirus cases continue to rise
Work
still to be done before Swaziland schools open after coronavirus lockdown
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