Parents Fret over school reopening day

Schools will be reopened in the next few days after more than six months of closure due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown.

The government in a recent weekly cabinet briefing said schools will be reopened in three phases under strict health conditions.

The three examination classes Grade 7, Form 4 and Upper Sixth will open on September 28 under phase 1, followed by non-exam classes (Grade 6, Form 3 and Lower Sixth or Form 5) on October 26 and lastly ECD A and B, Grades 1 to 5 and Forms 1 and 2 on the 9th of November 2020.

The move has however been received with mixed feelings.

Some parents have welcomed the decision while others wanted 2020 school calendar to be written off.

Parents who spoke to TechMagTV said they now have to work extra harder under the current harsh economic conditions to be able to send their kids back to school.

The current economic situation exacerbated by low incomes and the pandemic coronavirus have made life difficult to already struggling citizens – parents with school going kids have not been spared.

Most parents had become reluctant and accustomed to non-fees payment season since the closure of schools in March.

“I have three children who are in boarding school and the reopening of schools requires me to pay fees and purchase all their necessities but the current economic situation has put me in a fix. Yes we wanted them back to school but the current environment has piled pressure on our very limited resources,” she said.

Another parent currently facing the same situation said: “My salary has not been reviewed over the past six months and I am earning very little which barely meet our basics. It’s not that I don’t want them back to school but situation has put me in catch 22.”

The prevailing economic situation is hitting hard on most parents whose salaries and earnings cannot fully sustain them against daily needs and payment of fees.

“The first thing that came to my mind when government announced the reopening of schools was the issue of schools fees for my daughters who are still in primary school. The situation on the ground is just so stressful,” another parent said.

Meanwhile, teachers have vowed not to return to work until their demands are met by the government. Teachers are demanding a review of their salaries citing that they have become incapacitated to meet the rising costs of living in the inflationary environment.