UPND welcomes rescheduling of opening date

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) in Southern Province has welcomed the delayed re-opening of schools as announced by President Lungu last week.

According to the party, it would have been a serious risk to pupils for Government to have allowed schools to open today amidst the escalating number of Covid-19 cases and deaths being witnessed in the country.

The UPND said that the decision to delay the opening of the schools will help relevant authorities plan more on how to deal with the pupils amid rising cases in the nation..

Provincial Information and Publicity Secretary, Neto Halwabala, said the UPND was in support of the decision because that was the suggestion the party made last week.

"Like we had indicated last week, re-opening of schools would have been a very risk undertaking considering the way our children behave when it comes to hygiene matters.

"As a party, we welcome the decision to delay the re-opening of the schools and this is what we had suggested to the Ministry of General Education and Ministry of Health. It would have been a wishful thinking to allow schools to open it was planned," he said.

Now that the re-opening has been pushed to February 1, Mr Halwabala urged line ministries to adequately plan how to deal with the situation.

Mr Halwabala said that all necessary measures must be put in places so that once schools open, there should not be any disruptions.