Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
MATABELELAND North provincial education director Mr Jabulani Mpofu has urged schools venturing into personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing to certify their products with the Ministry of Health and Child Care before going public.
A number of primary and secondary schools in the province have started making masks and sanitisers to fight Covid-19, in line with Government Schools Covid-19 Response Programme where learning institutions should manufacture such materials.
In an interview, Mr Mpofu said some schools in the province have had their products approved while others had sent samples for approval.
“This is one project we are undertaking as we want to respond to Covid-19 as schools. We encourage schools to have their products checked and approved by the Ministry of Health and Child Care before they go public.
“Currently they have been bringing their samples to us to take to the provincial medical directors’ office but we want to encourage schools to work with district hospitals in their areas where their samples can be tested,” said Mr Mpofu.
He said schools with science laboratories will be manufacturing both sanitisers and masks while others will only make masks in their textiles and design technology departments.
Pupils are making the PPE with the guidance of teachers in line with the new curriculum which encourages lifelong skills learning alongside academic learning.
Mr Mpofu encouraged Government departments and other stakeholders to buy PPE from schools.
“We have a number of schools that have embarked on mask and sanitiser making projects for the Covid-19 fight. Currently, we are compiling the list of schools and the capacity they can make. We want to support them and as a province we will be buying from our schools once we finish the allocations we got from Government,” he said.
He said samples from Chinotimba Primary in Victoria Falls and Mabhikwa High in Lupane have been approved while others are waiting approval.
Other schools in PPE making and waiting for approval are Mosi-oa-Tunya High in Victoria Falls, Gebhuza High, Chilisa High, Kalope High, Hwange High, Lusumbami Secondary, Thomas Coulter Primary (all in Hwange), Gloag High, David Livingstone High (both in Umguza), Somvubu High, Inyathi High, John Tallach (both in Bubi), Tsholotsho High and Mavela in Tsholotsho as well as Lusulu High in Binga.
Mosi-oa-Tunya head Mr Roland Sibanda said they had sent samples to the Ministry of Health and Childcare and were waiting for approval.
Mabhikwa deputy head Mrs Tinani Maodzwa said the school is appealing for assistance to boost its production.
She said with resources they can make between 500 litres and 1 000litres of sanitisers per day.
“We have started modifying the products after the samples were approved and we are being helped by pharmacists from St Luke’s Hospital. Our major challenge is raw materials and packaging bottles since suppliers have all along been closed because of the lockdown and we are currently sourcing quotations to go full throttle. We are however limited by resources since schools are closed,” she said.
Making of PPEs by schools will help ease pressure on Government to provide materials for 136 000 teachers and 4,5 million pupils countrywide. — @ncubeleon
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