Schools Closure Extension Welcome, But ....

After a long struggle, the government finally acceded to proposals made by teachers unions to temporarily close schools with the announcement made mid-July that teachers and students will go on a school break until re-opening on August 17, 2021.

Fast forward! August 17 has arrived, but there still does not seem to be a plan in place that the government is sharing of how it intends to deal with the long-awaited vaccination of teachers. If anything else, the government seems a bit evasive on whether teachers will be prioritised when it comes to vaccinations.

The call for schools to close was clearly to make way for teachers to be vaccinated. Now it is beginning to look like the last month was just another school break and nothing more. President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Friday announced that schools returning to business as usual will be put off for another three weeks, save for students writing their final examinations this year.

Well, the announcement in itself was missing something, as there was no communication as to whether teachers, who are expected to report back to school, would have been vaccinated, or whether there is a plan to have them inoculated soon.

While, teachers’ unions and the general public were still digesting the news, yet another press release was issued, stating that: “Following the public announcement that schools will remain closed by a further three weeks, the Ministry of Basic Education informs parents, teachers, learners, all stakeholders and the general public that all schools including private schools will not re-open on Tuesday 17th August 2021 as previously announced. New dates for the reopening for completing classes (Standard 7, Form 3, Form 5 and Form 6) and the rest of the learners will be communicated in due course.

Therefore, all learners should remain home until further notice.” The statement unfortunately is not communicating much. The expectation was that the government would actually give important information on how they intend to roll out the vaccination of teachers! Teachers’ unions have made it crystal clear that their members will not return to the classroom unless they have been vaccinated!

Is the three weeks enough for the government to vaccinate teachers? Time is running out and the three weeks will waste away just like the month’s closure that would have ended on the 17th.

Teachers and students stayed at home for a whole month, and no attempts were made during this time to communicate plans and measures that the government is taking to ensure the safety of teachers and students.

It is no secret that teaching is one of the hardest hit sectors, as many have succumbed to COVID-19-related complications. Something has to be done.