Education stakeholders hope Malawi schools would reopen in 3 weeks
Education stakeholders are optimistic that schools would open in three weeks time despite the spike in Covid-19 cases.
The Independent Schools Association of Malawi say the government should adhere to its promise of opening all schools in three weeks time.
President Lazarus Chakwera announced new Covid-19 guidelines to avoid further spread of the virus among them being a three week schools break to monitor the situation.
According to Joseph Patel, president of the Independent Schools Association of Malawi, the closure was inevitable at a time the country was registering a surge in Covid-19 cases.
However, Patel said now after 3 weeks most schools will be ready to welcome back learners as during the period, a lot is being done to protect learners once they return to class on February 8.
Meanwhile, Dr Philip Kaonda Registrar of the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural says that the institution is planning of introducing virtual classes for students there.
Kaonda said the classes would mainly involve second and third year students who have not been attending classes since January early due to the pandemic.
In a related development, government has described the just ended Malawi School Certificate Examinations as a success.
Form four students yesterday concluded writing the re-administered MSCE.
Madalitso Kambauwa Wilima Deputy Minister of Education said examinations have been conducted successfully.
According to Wilima despite surge in COVID19 cases, all students have not been affected during the examinations.
Wilima has also advised students who returned home to jelously safeguard themselves from the virus.
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Let us learn to live with it. This pandemic has come to stay. Education is key. Let schools open side by side with it. We can not just be living in fear and stop schooling because we are going to reap the fruits of ignorance.
A Patel mwatani Kodi mufuna kuphetsa anthu inu sizikukuopyani za mmene anthu akuthera zonsezi mkusamvera kwa anthu ngati inu ongofuna ndalama posaganizila moyo wa anthu mdziko.President tu saakuyang’ana za private school zokha ayi akuona all schools in Malawi so mukamati mwakonzeka nanga za boma akonzekanso dikilani Kaye ntchito idakali boma lili kalikiliki kukonzekera bwino za mabwereredwe a ana mmsukulu zonse Mmalawi muno ndiye dikilani Kaye zitsekulidwa nthendayi ichepe Kaye.It will be contradictory to alllow schools to open whilst gatherings are restricted to 50 people with social distancing.
Students need to go back to school because we don’t know when this pandemic will end. Is it only at where people get the virus? Are they not the very same students whom you have sent back home we meet selling bananas in these congested markets like Limbe? Where is the safety there? Children seem more protected at school than at home because more than 90% of them do not stay at home but are being sent to the streets with small businesses. Let whoever feels insecure at school wait till the pandemic ends and rejoin it thereafter. Let every… Read more »
@Knaminyuku the a Mkoko it seems you’re throwing all caution to the dogs. On of the duties of the government is to protect its citizens from all sorts of calamities and one of it is diseases. Imagine pupils n students contracting and succumbing to the virus while in school who will be blamed? Its the government. And there is no way the government can fire teachers simply because they want to protect themselves from the virus. You are saying this out of desperation. Yes we don’t know when the pandemic will end but what we know is that right now… Read more »
@Analyst, this issue of protecting yourself from the virus is a personal issue. Everyone has to be responsible on oneself because government authorities do not follow us where we go and the government does not give a person bread. Without education there is nothing that can work because even the researches or doctors have to attend classes first for them to come up with best scientific discoveries. How can we replace those lost professionals like nurses and doctors without training some more others? Do we have enough of them? Matter of fact, we don’t even need a research to prove… Read more »
Am not sending my children to school at the current status
The only interest most of the Private Schools have is money, and not in their students or their teachers! Their only worry is the loss of school fees. The last time schools closed the so-called president (for life?) of ISAMA, Joseph Patel, was mobilising and sending messages to private schools urging them to start calling the students back to school even before the government had declared the situation safe for students to return to school! Now, again, ISAMA wants to mislead the nation. The state president did Not promise that schools would reopen on 8th February (after 3 weeks of… Read more »
The problem is they only want money to run their businesses like these fake prophets. Opening schools is determined by the trend covid is fairing in the country, dyera shuwa. Most grown up parents do have underlying cases,so mufuna ana atu atibweresele kumanyumba,tife? Tikonde moyo yathu,not ndalama abale. Where are we rushing to in Malawi? We were in no rush 2years ago,now we want to go neck to neck with covid because we need to feel our accounts?
Komatu penapake a ma private schools musakhale ndi dyera ndi ndalama ngati ma driver ndi ma kondakitala a ma Minibus. Yes anawo sakufa kwenikweni koma ndi ma carriers, Tsopano makolo a anawo akafa atakulipireni fees ndi ndani. A pule last Sunday anati schools will reopen at his instruction. Mukupangazi is the same as kukakamira kuti tizikhala atatu pa mpando just because no one has died of Covid while in a minibus. Kaya, tsekulani ma sukuluwo muone ngati makolo abweretseko anawo.
Schools wont open soon…Life first
These so-called independent schools will have all of us killed! The three-week time period is not set in stone; the Covid situation on the ground will determine whether or not it should be extended. That’s how a person with even half a brain should interpret the govt pronouncement. These private schools are only after making money. They don’t seem to give a damn that folks are dropping dead around us like flies.