Education department confirms two-week delay in reopening of schools

The basic education department on Friday confirmed that the reopening of schools has been postponed to February 15.

“Given the pressure experienced by the health system in the past few weeks, occasioned by increased Covid-19 infections which has led to the second wave, the Council of Education Ministers in conjunction with the National Coronavirus Command Council and cabinet, has taken the decision to delay the reopening of both public and private schools with two weeks,” deputy basic minister Reginah Mhaule told a media briefing.

“This includes private schools that have reopened already. They will need to postpone their reopening to a later date. This is done to provide relief to the health system which is already struggling to cope with the current demands.”

She said the new dates for the reopening of private schools would vary depending on the calendar that they follow.

For public schools and private schools which follow the same calendar, changes are as follows:

• School Management Teams (SMTs) shall report for duty on Monday, 25 January 2021;
• Teachers shall follow on Monday, 01 February 2021; and
• Lastly, learners return on Monday, 15 February 2021.

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