MBABANE: Mbongwa Dlamini, the President for the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) says as a union they welcome government’s decision to postpone the re-opening of schools in the midst of the second wave of COVID 19.
Speaking during an interview with this publication, the SNAT President said government has finally demonstrated a high level of sanity.
“The reopening of schools should not be determined by time but by the level of safety for the children and their teachers. The Ministry of Education is on point, the current situation doesn’t allow us to expose our children to the virus, it’s true that the delay in the reopening of schools will affect their future but now we need to prioritise their right to life over education. But government should make sure that schools are well equipped by the time of reopening, there should be enough infrastructure and teaching staff to absorb the large number of learners in order to avoid overloading the current teachers with work”, he said.
Lady Howard Mabuza, the Minister for Education issued a statement on behalf of government on Wednesday afternoon announcing the postponement of the reopening of schools. The Minister said the rapid increase in both COVID 19 cases and related deaths was quite alarming.
“The nation is aware that schools usually reopen on the third week of January. However, due to the hike in COVID 19 cases over the past two months, the reopening might be delayed. We will keep the nation abreast on the proposed reopening dates of schools in due course as we continue to monitor the situation on the ground”, reads the statement in part.
Mjingo High School