Mozambique: Schools reopen on July 27 – for Grade 12 and teacher training

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Schools reopen on July 27 – for Grade 12 and teacher training

11:27 CAT | 08 Jul 2020

File photo: O País

The return to school is scheduled for the 27th of July – but not for all students. Only Grade 12 students and those attending teacher training will return to classes at the end of the month.

The Council of Ministers yesterday took a long time, and no wonder. Among the topics covered, one of concern to all of society stands out: the return to face-to-face classes in times of Covid-19. For now, the executive has defined July 27 as the day teaching will resume. This includes Grade 12 students and students attending teacher training, in institutions able to guarantee the protection of students.

“We are talking about 171 schools teaching Grade 12 and 19 teacher training institutes with [the right] conditions, without water and sanitation problems, which will resume in this first phase,” government spokesman Filimão Suazi said, before inviting Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Osvaldo Machatine to detail the interventions being made in educational institutions that do not yet meet the requirements

Minister Machatine said that the rehabilitation of water sources in schools and bathrooms would take place within 55 days. Remediation in schools without an existing toilet or even a water source for hand washing at present would take an estimated 90 days.

“The government is carrying out a survey of all the existing school infrastructures, whether at secondary and primary level or teacher training institutes and boarding schools,” the Minister of Public Works revealed, so as to assess which educational institutions were able to teach while ensuring protection for students.

There are 667 secondary schools in Mozambique, 27 teacher training institutes and 157 boarding schools.

“The government has already secured funding for the rehabilitation or replacement of these facilities,” the minister said.

Asked about the source of the money, Osvaldo Machatine says that the government had received some in the form of Covid-19 support, and some was from the state coffers. The executive had announced that US$700 million was needed to deal with Covid-19, and had already received about half of that amount, it will be recalled.

Minister Machatine said primary schools were still being surveyed to find out which ones were in a condition to resume classes, only after which would it be possible to calculate the amount of money necessary for the water supply and sanitation or even construction interventions required.

By José João

Source: O País