Unions, MoBE To Draft COVID-19 Strategy For Schools
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday September 14, 2020 16:47
The strategy would be shared with the Presidential COVID-19 Task Force team.
Trade unions and Ministry of Education representatives met last week Wednesday regarding the rise in COVID-19 cases in schools, The Monitor has learnt.
“We are very concerned about the rising cases of COVID-19 cases in schools, and teachers are exposed. Our proposal to MoBE was for them to provide safety clothing to teachers since they meet children from different places and therefore their health is compromised.
But the ministry agreed to meet us so that we could make proposals together. We have since agreed to form a task team, which will come up with measures that could help us in schools because they are populated. Honestly, the ministry is concerned as much as we are and we hope we will come up with something concrete that could serve us,” Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU), vice president Mogomotsi Motshegwa said.
He further said they had found out that some health protocols like social distancing are not adhered to, particularly during mid-morning and lunch breaks.
Motshegwa said the report would relate what happens at schools and how certain scenario, which expose the spread of the virus, could be avoided.
“This time calls for us as trade unions to put our differences with the Ministry aside and come up with solutions. Of course, we did not want schools to open for other classes, especially for those that are in Form 5, Form 3 and Standard 7. ”But if the ministry wants schools to open, then we need to find solutions on what could be done to avoid the spread of the virus,” Motshegwa said.
Botswana has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in schools, with both teachers and learners affected.