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Parents across the country are mulling over a possibility to withdraw their kids from school following the recent sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, TechMag TV has gathered.
Zimbabwe to date hass recorded 9,398 cases, 8,297 recoveries and 274 deaths.
The past few days witnessed a second wave of the pandemic virus as evidenced by a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, mostly in school.
More than three schools have so far been sealed off after the authorities declared a health in Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and Mashonaland West.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care Monday closed Chinhoyi High School to non-examination day scholars after 57 students tested positive.
In an interview with TechMag TV, a disgruntled parent said the government should not have allowed premature reopening of schools.
“The government was ill-advised and acted prematurely to open schools and exposed children to the deadly virus. Worse off we do not know if children were practising social distancing and wearing masks. This leaves us parents with no choice but to withdraw our children from schools.
“As it stands, we do not even know if our children will seat for exams yet we paid exams fees and school fees,its better we save children’s lives for they can always write their exams next year June,”
Members of Parliament also argued yesterday the government was ill-advised and acted prematurely to open schools and exposed children to the deadly virus.
Southerton MP Peter Moyo said schools should not have been opened in the first place and that the best way forward now was to close them to avoid a disaster.
“I hope the whole world agrees with what has been said here that schools were not supposed to be opened. We have opened schools and children who were COVID-19 positive and negative were put at the same place hence infecting the whole school,” said Moyo.
Schools reopened on September 28 for examination classes in a phased process that saw the last group open on November 9.
Most schools, however, remained closed after teachers, who were on strike demanding a pay hike, failed to report for duty.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe has been arguing that government was supposed to consider the plight of teachers.
“Government is pushing for certain exam classes so that they make it pass over. That automatic learning they want to see grade sevens going into secondary schooling and upper six students going into university yet there has been no investment or learning in between. This year must be considered a lost year,” he added.
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