Last week on Thursday, August 20, the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged African governments to accelerate the reopening of schools, saying that the continent’s youth will suffer from the effects of being away from the classrooms for a prolonged period. . According to the global health agency, poor nutrition, stress, increased exposure to violence and exploitation as well as teenage pregnancies are among other problems faced by students remaining out of school in sub-Saharan Africa. “We must not be blind-sided by our efforts to contain Covid-19 and end up with a lost generation. Just as countries are opening businesses safely, we can reopen schools,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa told the media at a virtual press conference last week. “Schools have paved the way to success for many Africans. They also provide a safe haven for many children in challenging circumstances to develop and thrive,” she added. Mohamed M. Malick Fall, UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa pointed out that, “the long-term impact of extending the school shutdown risks even greater harm to children, their future and their communities.” Currently, only six African countries have fully opened schools according to available data. Like other large gatherings, however, schools were closed as part of measures to limit the transmission of the coronavirus. Rwanda instructed all schools to stop in-person class sessions after the country reported its first coronavirus case, mid-March. The country announced that the decision to reopen schools will be based on a thorough health assessment. The government had initially set September as the re-open date, however, the upward trend in regard to coronavirus cases in the country has put the scheduled date under serious doubt. Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, while appearing before parliament in July, said that the reopening of schools in the country will only be guided by science. Kenya, one of the East African countries, has already ruled out any possibility of schools reopening before the end of 2020. Lessons from elsewhere Although pressure is building for countries to open up schools, John Nkengasong, the head of Africa Centre for Decease Control (CDC), emphasised that closing of schools was the right thing to do and they should only re-open when infections have declined substantially. He cautioned that hasty re-opening of schools in Africa could lead to situations like Israel where they [schools] were re-opened and then shut down again after infections spiked. “Africa’s caseload has remained relatively low compared to other continents, a factor that has been attributed to its relative isolation,” Nkengasong said in a statement. Contacted for a comment, Gaspard Twagirayezu, the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education echoed the same sentiments stressing that the country would base on a Covid-19 assessment, with the priority being to ensure safety for all students. The idea is to ensure hygiene and other safety requirements are in place. Then monitor the situation with advice from the Ministry of Health. Nonetheless, he said, “while we are not sure about the date of reopening, we are investing in facilities that will help prevent the spread of coronavirus in learning institutions.” Construction of classrooms, sanitation facilities, and different class setups are among other facilities that the government is investing in, according to Twagirayezu. Samuel Nkurunziza, the headteacher of Kagarama Secondary School in Kicukiro District said that despite the ambiguity about the reopening date, schools should start preparing so that they are ready to accommodate students as soon as they resume. “After more than four months without working, we have started cleaning the whole campus. In the dorms, dining halls, classes, among other large gathering facilities,” Nkurunziza said. He added that with the new construction of classes, over-crowding will be a thing of the past at his school.
