The Sunday Mail
Society Reporter
Inordinate delays in opening schools and the attendant disruptions to the school calendar, are increasingly making learners, teachers and administrators anxious.
Zimbabwe School Examinations (Zimsec) 2020 public examinations for O-Level learners are still ongoing and expected to be concluded on Friday.
However, results for the 2020 November O- and A-Level Cambridge Examinations have since been released.
The Government insists that it will continue to prioritise public health and safety.
“As a ministry, we stand guided by the rules and regulations that seek to arrest the spread of the coronavirus. Schools will be opened only when it is safe to do so,” said Mr Taungana Ndoro, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education director of communications and advocacy.
Parents and guardians are now worried.
“As parents, we are in the dark with regards to the reopening of schools. We cannot plan for the future and our greatest fear is that we are likely going to be caught unawares,” said Mr Fainos Mapuranga, whose child is enrolled at a school in the capital.
But the prospect of reopening schools in the middle of a raging coronavirus pandemic is unnerving for both teachers and parents.
“As you might be aware, we are yet to be advised of the days when schools will be reopened. The delay in the announcement of the dates has a negative impact since parents and teachers cannot plan for the future,” said Mr Everisto Jongwe, the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Schools Development Committees/Associations (ZSDC/As).
He, however, advised parents and teachers to fight in the same corner for the good of the learners.
“We are facing a very tricky situation. Tough times demand tough decisions. The decision to defer the reopening of schools had to be made. We must look at both sides. There is need for the children to attend school but we also have to look at their safety and health,” he said.
While schools remain closed, the Government opened a window for examination classes from January 5 to February 5.
Dr Peter Kwaira, an educationist, said stakeholders need to jointly look for workable solutions.
“We are in a crisis whose magnitude has never been seen before. I feel sorry for the teachers, parents and learners . . . This is not the time to point fingers. Stakeholders must work together to find solutions,” he said.
“I cannot say that the future of our education sector is bleak. All I can say is that we are working under very difficult conditions; conditions that need us to be flexible . . . There is need for us to fully support e-learning and close the gaps that are making it ineffective.”
Online lessons
Some schools have conveniently switched to online lessons, but the costs is considered prohibitive by some parents.
ZSDC/As blames internet service providers for punitive costs.
“When it comes to online fees, all I can say is that we are facing a national disaster. As long as our network providers are charging high tariffs, there is nothing that schools can do about it. The tariffs are decided by service providers and not schools,” Mr Jongwe explained.
Dr Takavafira Zhou, the president of the Professional Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, believes the Government should come up with ways of effectively implementing online lessons.
“Online, television and radio lessons are not operational since 70 percent of intended leaners do not have access to data bundles, radio and television. The most effective way is for teachers to form WhatsApp groups, with the Government providing them with data bundles.”
He implored the Government to look into teachers’ salaries and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) as the first step towards reopening schools.
