‘NO VACCINE NO CLASSES’
We still advise all our members that the decision that members should not get into classes to teach or interact with students if they are still not vaccinated before the schools re-open remains firmly in force BOSETU
Against the backdrop of the announcement on Friday by President Mokgweetsi Masisi that schools will remain closed except for completing classes, the Ministry of Basic Education has since said schools will remain closed for all classes. Completing classes, being Standard Seven, Form 3, Form 5 and Form Six classes were expected to resume tomorrow.
“Following the public announcement that schools will remain closed by a further (3) three weeks, the Ministry of Basic Education informs parents, teachers, learners, all relevant stakeholders and the general public that all schools, including private schools will not reopen on Tuesday 17th August as previously announced,” a press statement by the ministry chief public relations officer, Oarabile Phefo reads in part.
According to Phefo, new dates for the reopening of completing classes and the rest of the learners will be communicated in due course. As a result learners are to remain home until an announcement is made by authorities.
Meanwhile, the Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) is irked by the latest announcement relating to the reopening of schools, while teachers have not yet been vaccinated, insisting that ‘no vaccination, no school’.
There has not been any laid out plan for the vaccination of teachers before they go back to school. There was an expectation that an arrangement will be made for teachers to be vaccinated during the period the schools were closed.
The union’s secretarygeneral Tobokani Rari said the move to send teachers back to school while not vaccinated was ‘worrisome’ and ‘disappointing’ to say the least.
In an interview with this publication following the announcement by the president, Rari explained that they would insist on teachers not returning to school if they are not vaccinated.
He pointed out that sending only a selected number of students to school is not a solution to the already dire situation as the interaction between students and teachers will still happen, putting the lives of all at risk.
“We are happy that the ministry has listened to us on postponing reopening schools, but the government needs to have a strategy on vaccinating teachers within those three weeks. The teachers cannot go on risking their lives.
I believe that they will vaccinate teachers for the completing students first since they have issued a memorandum in which they indicate that the new dates for reopening of schools for completing students will be announced and in the meantime, students must remain home,” Rari said.
Still, on the matter, the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Douglas Letsholathebe said reopening of tertiary institutions is also postponed by three weeks.
“Only students who are completing their courses this year could go to school but for those continuing, they will go after two weeks and first year students will open after three weeks. Different tertiary institutions must come up with a proper plan on how they would avoid crowding in order to save lives,” Letsholathebe said on Saturday.