The ManicaPost
Sebastian Mukuchura Post Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) examination classes will be resuming lessons on Monday.
As expected, debate has been raging on the preparedness of the learning institutions with regards to safeguarding the health of the students and their teachers.
Although Government has availed $600 million for the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment, some are of the opinion that more resources need to be channelled to the schools.
Others are also arguing that students lost 140 days of learning time and therefore there isn’t adequate time for them to prepare for the examinations that start on December 1.
Traditionally, the school calendar runs for about nine months, with the other three months set aside for holidays.
In some cases, parents have also been forced to part with their hard-earned money to send their children for extra lessons.
Some are even advocating for the Kenyan route that saw the reopening of schools being deferred to January 2021, with all students expected to continue with the levels they were in before the onset of Covid-19.
To compound the situation, some teachers’ unions have been trying to resist the reopening of schools. Sadly, it appears like their concerns have nothing to do with the supposedly lack of preparedness or the students’ short period for examination preparation.
The teachers’ unions clearly see this situation as an opportunity to justify the monthly subscriptions they take from the unsuspecting teachers. They are therefore calling for the deferment of schools’ opening until teachers’ conditions of service have been improved.
While teachers, just like any other civil servants deserve better service conditions, we cannot allow a generation to miss an opportunity to learn due to some unions’ greediness.
Covid-19 is no one’s fault. The closure of schools was informed by the need to protect the nation and now it is time to reopen them.
Government is doing its best to improve the welfare of its employees and therefore teachers should go back to the classrooms and teach their students wholeheartedly as dialogue on their remuneration is concluded.
Getting back to the issue of schools’ preparedness, Zimbabwe is currently witnessing a reduction in the number of Covid-19 active cases. So far, the measures put in place by Government have been successful in containing the virus.
As Zimbabwe adjusts into the new normal, it is crucial to acknowledge that we need to learn to live with Covid-19 as it appears to be going nowhere in the foreseeable future. The education of the country’s students therefore cannot be postponed indefinitely.
Most sectors are now open and therefore schools need to follow suit. Extraordinary adjustments need to be made for the benefit of the students.
Various countries have adopted different measures to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and these measures are unique to specific situations. Experiences and lessons from elsewhere are crucial since this is a novel global pandemic.
In June this year, Zimsec candidates sat for their exams and everything went on well. There were no Covid-19 cases recorded amongst the candidates and their invigilators.
This should serve as an example on how the country can safely navigate through the pandemic in learning institutions.
Zupco buses have been availed for students and teachers as they open schools. Considering the public transporter’s current overwhelming situation, it is hoped that measures have been put in place to ensure the smooth transportation of students and teachers to and from their respective schools.
Transport challenges must be avoided at all costs as these will force learners and teachers to opt for private vehicles and pirate commuter omnibuses. This will expose them to Covid-19.
Covid-19 has redefined the way things are done. A new normal has been born, but most importantly we have been given the opportunity to take stock of what we have and what we lack.
The resumption of physical learning for examination classes should therefore not put a stop to e-learning. Rather, Zimbabwe needs to find ways to carry out a programme that benefits all.
While we are grappling with Covid-19 today, something else might come to disrupt the smooth flow of our education sector in future. We need to plan ahead and prepare accordingly.
Sebastian Mukuchura is a director at Princeton Institute and can be contacted on 0773516665/ [email protected]
