Cautious optimism as schools reopen

 

Though 2020 has not been a normal year in which what most societies had taken as conventional has been turned on its head, we warmly welcome the effort to bring normalcy by getting students back to school.

And as such, the decision by the Ministry of Education to reopen schools is one that should form part of the psychological weapons to overcome the fear the pandemic has spread in every sphere of our lives.

However, the reopening has to be approached with caution because it can inadvertently trigger a huge surge in cases that we are ill-equipped to handle. It is also worth noting that our health workers are on different stages of industrial action pressing for better perks.

To make the reopening safer, the government and teachers have to put to use the experience they got from Grade 4, Standard 8 and Form 4 learners who resumed classes in October.

And most importantly, the government needs to ensure there is enough running water and soap in all schools and where they need help they should find a way of asking parents to step in and ensure children carry water to school.

Children are an investment in any society and as such, the government, parents, teachers and those in the private sector need to join hands and help in whichever way possible to ensure our schools are safe.

Even though it's the duty of government to provide quality education in a good environment for learners, companies that are able to supply sanitiser should do so to ease the burden.