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Mukudzei Chingwere and Precious Manomano
The education system, which includes head teachers, has assured the Government that it is possible to run successful end of year public examinations this year for primary and secondary school learners.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela, said this yesterday when she fielded questions from the media after the post-Cabinet briefing.
Said Mrs Thabela: “We have consulted our system, especially the head of schools and they have convinced us that given all the efforts we have done as a country and this session we have gone back to, it is possible to write exams starting in 2021.
“We might spill over for some of the exams to the beginning of 2022, but we believe our learners will be ready. By the way, the Zimbabwean learner is hungry for education and the Zimbabwean teacher is also amazing when it comes to trying to get their child ready for their future.
“We believe as a ministry we cannot stop the futures of these children so we will try everything possible to prepare them for the exams.”
Mrs Thabela said teachers were attending classes across the country, with their daily attendance register for the previous week showing 70 percent attendance.
“There are one or two provinces where it is still depressed, but generally we are over 70 percent attendance,” she said.
On the transport situation for the commuting learners, Mrs Thabela said they hoped the challenges will not impact negatively on the school calendar. Government is working towards addressing transport challenges through introduction of commuter trains and adding more Zupco buses.
“We are also aware that Government is working on alternatives to transport resolution, other options that are coming through like the train and new buses that are on their way,” said Mrs Thabela.
“So ours is to believe that Government is going to be on top of the situation.”
Learners who fell pregnant during the lockdown break have been encouraged to continue attending school as they have a right to education.
Mrs Thabela said if the pregnant learners were not comfortable with returning to formal schools, they could consider pursuing their education through the non-formal route.
Schools that have accrued debts during the lockdown period should extinguish them, said Mrs Thabela, adding that engaging in commercial activities in line with the Government’s call will help schools generate revenue and not just rely on school fees.
“Perhaps what we can borrow from is what happened in the previous session, responsible authorities had to take those debts on behalf of their schools as part of their technical support,” she said.
“Those engaged in commercial activity do not have any debts to carry. But currently I think it suffices to say mainly the responsible authorities will be asked to save their assets, which is the school.”
In an interview earlier yesterday after touring Westlea Primary School together with officials from UNICEF to assess if the school was adhering to Covid-19 regulations, Mrs Thabela said there was need to continue following the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health and Child Care protocols and guidelines on the prevention and management of the disease at all learning institutions to ensure a safe and healthy environment for stakeholders.
“We are happy to note that children are also happy to be at school,” she said.
“We were moving from district to district encouraging children to go back to school.
“One of the learners here at Westlea Primary School told me that she had access to information, but no one will explain to her at home so she is very happy to be back at school.
“Together with our partners, we got the schools ready to stand and follow standard operating procedures to ensure that they remain safe. The school head and the staff are there to help the children. So we believe that we can catch up very quickly and 2021 will not be lost, but allow for learners to move forward.”
UNICEF country representative Dr Tajudeen Oyewale said: “I am very happy to see children back at school. This was one of the schools to be given a platform for alternative learning passport to continue learning.
“We have to ensure that schools remain open, so officials here are observing the regulations to allow the school to operate in a healthy environment. They are also implementing measures of screening visitors coming in. These are very concrete measures. So l am commending the school officials and parents who are working together to ensure that the school is safe.”
To contain the further spread of the pandemic, the Government has also approved the vaccination of everyone above 14 years of age, which will make almost all secondary school learners eligible.
Online Reporter