Covid-19: Mozambique to spend €44 million reorganising schools – report

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Covid-19: Mozambique to spend €44 million reorganising schools – report

2:26 CAT | 08 Jul 2020

Photo: Diario Interactivo Moçambique

The Mozambican government announced on Tuesday that it will spend 3.5 billion meticais (€44 million) on the reorganization of schools for phased reopening, in view of the risks posed by Covid-19.

“This amount will be used for the rehabilitation and replacement of water supply and sanitation systems in schools, boarding schools and training centres,” Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources João Machatine said after a session of the Council of Ministers in Maputo.

The rehabilitation will be carried out within three months, with the aim of ensuring the safe return of students to schools in view of the spread of Covid-19 in the country, the minister explained.

“This work will consist, on the one hand, in the rehabilitation of infrastructures which are in an obsolete state and, on the other hand, the installation of these systems in those institutions that did not have them,” Minister Machatine clarified.

Mozambican schools, which have been closed since April 1 under the state of emergency enacted by the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, will be reopened in stages from July 27, with priority given to exam classes, starting with Grade 12 in secondary education.

Mozambique has a total of 13,337 public primary schools, and 677 secondary schools, according to official data.

On 28 May, the Mozambican president announced the extension of the state of emergency for the third time – the maximum provided for in the Constitution – with the phased lifting of some restrictions.

In addition to the phased reopening of schools, international flights with some countries will resume, more people will be allowed in the workplace, and museums may reopen.

Since the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Mozambique on March 22, the country has recorded a total of 1,040 positive cases, with 280 patients recovered and eight deaths caused by the new coronavirus, plus two owing to other causes, according to the Tuesday (July 7) update from the Ministry of Health.

Source: Lusa