Malawi: Education Ministry announces to reopen schools from September 7

Malawi's Ministry of Education has announced that following the various strides the country has made in the fight against COVID-19, schools will reopen from September 7, in phases, starting with examination classes, according to a news report by Malawi News Agency.

The government has ordered the closure of all schools in Malawi even before the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in the country, as a preventive measure to the emergence and subsequent spread of the pandemic.

However, Minister of education, Agnes Nyalonje said on August 27 in Lilongwe that following various consultations, it would now be safer to reopen schools but under strict observation of COVID-19 preventative measures.

The first groups to report back to school on September 7 are standard 8 learners, form 4 students, teachers under the IPTE 14, and final year students in universities.

The second group is expected to report back to school three weeks later on October 12, and these are students in forms 1 to 3 and pupils from standard 1 to 7.

Higher learning institutions will have to make plans as to when to take in the second phase of students.

However, the Minister has instructed that learners from standard 1 to 4 should not be reporting to school at the same time because there are a lot of students in these classes unlike in the upper classes.

As such, headteachers should make arrangements as to how pupils in these classes should best be alternating in reporting to school.

"This opening will be done with a lot of measures in place to allow us to monitor the situation. That is why we are saying we have to balance the right to life and right to education so that as we are opening, we do not just open this up in a free for all manner, but rather to help schools put in place and maintain preventive measures.

"The ministry of health has put in a decentralized system that is accompanying every level of preparations in every area schools are," said Nyalonje.