Schools opening: Cabinet to decide today
SITEKI – Cabinet will today decide if schools will reopen next week.
Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza said she had filed an official requests to Cabinet for the reopening of schools last week. The request was for schools to reopen this week. Mabuza said Cabinet will today meet and among other matters on the agenda was to deliberate on her proposal.
Deputy Prime Minister ( DPM) Themba Masuku, who was acting PM at the time, announced the prompt closure of schools on June 30 due to the rise in COVID19 infections and the recent political unrest in the country.
The Mafutseni Member of Parliament ( MP) said even though schools were temporarily closed due to the volatile situation that occurred last month, head teachers were monitoring the situation on the ground, including the technical working committee which was working closely with the Ministry of Health.
“There will be a Cabinet meeting tomorrow ( today) where my request will be part of the agenda. The technical working groups will also meet and furnish government with a comprehensive report regarding this subject matter. For now, we are monitoring the situation but we are cognisant of the state of affairs as we are now on level four of the lockdown but schools have to reopen,” she said. When quizzed further what could be the compelling prospect on the reopening of schools considering the current surge in COVID19 cases, the minister indicated that pupils had been hugely affected by the schools’ closure.
She further pointed out that once Cabinet had agreed and gave a go- ahead; newlyappointed Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini would make an official statement. Sikelela Dlamini, Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers ( SNAT), said they would await government’s stance on the matter as nothing official had been communicated to them.
Dlamini said if Cabinet approved the reopening of schools, there must be a clear plan put in place in the rollout of the vaccination programme for teachers.
“In fact, we have written to government, requesting that teachers should be prioritised in the vaccination programme as they are a vulnerable group as well. We are ready to go back to class provided government addresses our grievances. The lives of our members are a major concern to us considering the current numbers of infections in the country,” he said. In response to Dlamini’s statement, the minister said the vaccination programme was being handled by the Ministry of Health.
Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said teachers were the next people to be vaccinated after finishing with the elderly people.
Dr Magagula said government was expecting more vaccine.
“Teachers are the next group of people to be vaccinated once the vaccine arrives. When we finish with the inoculation of the elderly people, they are next. We are expecting the vaccines soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, Eswatini Principals Association ( EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga said they had not yet been informed about the proposal to Cabinet about the reopening of schools next week. “We are still waiting for the ministry to call us to a meeting to discuss among other things the reopening of schools. As a stakeholder, we will know once government has given a goahead,” he said.