Government provides additional guidelines for school reopening
Ministry of education has provided additional guidelines to educational institutions for school reopening on 12th October.
In a circular secretary for education Chikondano Mussa says attendance in infant and junior sections will be staggered especially in schools with very high enrollment.
Mussa says standard 1 and 3 and standard 2 and 4 will attend schools in alternate days
“School day shall start at 7:30 every day and standard one pupils will knock off at 11:30, standard 2 at 12 o’clock, standard 3 at 12:40, standard 4 at 13:15 and standards 5 to 7 at 13:55,” says Mussa
He has advised head teachers to assign standard 8 teachers to other classes to teach.
He says schools with considerable number of teachers are asked to use double shifting by creating two shifts one in the morning and the other in the afternoon
On schools with large enrollments and staggering with infant and junior classes Mussa says “the headteachers should identify other places such as tents, community halls and under five shelters.”
The Ministry of education stresses that while grass thatched shelters may be helpful the use of un burnt brick shelters must be avoided at all times
The secretary of the Ministry has advised school to engage expertise of clerks of works in the councils to help with workmanship when building shelters
Mussa has said cooking of porridge or meals at school is not permitted therefore arrangements should be made to distribute ration for deserving students so that their parents can cook at home
In boarding secondary schools the ministry has recommended the use of multipurpose halls and other spaces to decongest hostels with more students than the bed space
The Ministry says “all schools should de congest classes through double shifting and overlapping system, review timetable and stagger break and meal times to ensure compliance to COVID-19 measures.”
In addition open secondary schools should strictly start their lessons 30 minutes after conventional schools have finished
The Ministry has advised higher education institutions to assess their situation after phase 1 reopening and revisit operational guidelines accordingly
