KITWE DEBS, DC ‘STORM’ MPELEMBE SECONDARY

KITWE District Commissioner Chileshe Bweupe and District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Christopher Nyungila made an impromptu visit to Mpelembe Secondary school after reports of pupils reporting without medical reports were sent back home.

The duo upon arrival found school medical personnel checking pupils’ temperatures as they reported back for their second term after the abrupt closure two months ago due to the corona virus pandemic.

Mr Bweupe warned school management that his office would not take lightly any reports of turning away pupils who neither had full medical reports from the hospital nor face masks if it was truly the case at the school.

But the Principal Fidelis Hachibulo refuted the reports, stating that no such issues were happening at the school as all pupils were only having their temperatures checked upon arrival at the school.

Mr Bweupe maintained that Government had donated face masks to schools for examination classes that have resumed lessons across the country and that sending away pupils would attract serious problems.

“If we confirm that you are truly requesting pupils to come with full medical reports as we have been told, I can assure you that our next visit will not be a good one. Let us follow the guidelines we have been given and avoid making our own rules,” he warned.

And the DEBS warned that such actions would only demoralise parents and pupils.

Mr Nyungila advised school management to handle learners cautiously that may be found with high temperatures and avoid making them look like they had corona virus symptoms in front of other learners to protect them from being stigmatized.

He said that Mpelembe just like any other school was under the Ministry of General Education, hence the need to follow the laid down guidelines and communicate if they needed to change certain aspects.

But Mr Hachibulo said that the school only requested those that came from far places to have their temperatures checked at the local clinic or the school screening point.

“We are not requesting such things from our learners. The only thing we are doing is to ask them as soon as they report is check their temperatures before we could direct them to their hostels,” Mr Hachibulo explained.