Concerned students demand reopening of schools in Malawi
Concerned Students of Malawi, which is a group comprising of students from different institutions, have called on the government to open schools with immediate effect and end the extention on the closure of schools as a Covid-19 control measure.
Concerned Students publicity secretary, Kelvin Kasanga, told journalist on Thursday at Nkhwazi Lodge in Blantyre that government did not consider the effects that last year’s closure of schools had on students, particularly the girl child.
“Firstly, we the concerned students recommend the great work our government is doing in preventing further spread of the virus by among other measures making the wearing of face masks mandatory in all public places including schools While appreciating all the efforts, as students, we are much concerned on how the government has made the decision of further closing up schools,” said Kasanga.
He said government did not consider that educated people are the future of the nation hence the need to lightly cover the right to education that largely complements right to life.
” As students, we strongly believe that Covid-19 preventive measures could be well observed at schools rather than at bars, markets that are not even on lockdown as schools are eyed to be. These are places where a huge number of people converge for shopping on daily basis, as such, threatening further spread of the virus, “he said.
The students further said the government overlooked the vivid fact that the findings from last year’ closure of schools due to the same pandemic indicated that more girls were at risk of early marriages, early pregnancies, contacting sexually transmitted infections, increased cases of domestic rape and abuse by some relatives and guardians as they will spend most of their time at home.
Kasanga further said: “We, therefore, expect that the government will come out clear after 48 hours effective 1Oth February, 2021 and tell the general public that It will use the stipulated time frame of 2 weeks to do all possible means for schools to reopen by 22nd February.”
The also said they expect government to announce that all students must be in their respective schools by Monday.
Learners had anticipated a resumption of schooling on February 8 after an eight-week closure of schools at the start of the first term of 2021 as President Lazarus Chakwera had declared a state of national disaster.
The state of national disaster followed a spike in new coronavirus infections and deaths as the second wave of the pandemic swept across the African continent.
February 14th. 2021’~ Listen students and Governments listen good. Let me tell you this from i live in the United States in my girlfriend lives in Blantyre Malawi going to polytechnic University. Even if you wore masks at school every girl goes to mostly live in hostels where they have 4 or more girls in a Room that’s where there going to get the virus when they go out travelling in the streets get the virus bringing back to the hostels and they spreading it everywhere. in bringing into your schools even if you got the virus in survived it… Read more »
Until the Covid infections curve takes a turn its a risk to send students back to school. Be patient with death or else u could be rushing yourselves to an early grave. There is saying kuti ntchentche yopupuluma……its a new norm and a fact that school calendars world wide have been affected.
Nde kuti mimba njoopsa kuposa Corova Virus?
This simply means that these so called students doesn’t value their lives and school at all, how can they attain education with a false pretence life style?
They come from poor families but they would want to behave as if their parents are rich,.
We value life more than everything, don’t open schools up until the situation normalizes
Are they nuts? Who is going to teach them? Do they think that teachers and lecturers are so useless such that they should be exposed to the deadly virus? Chamba changowachulukira anawa.
Wait until the deaths has minimised. You haven’t lost any of your relative. Thus why mukutero. Koma ma private schools mutilakwisa ndi kukonda ndalama kwanuko.
What contribution will dead educated people make to the development of this nation? You are forgetting that the new Coronavirus variant that is now surging rapidly is more transmissible than the old one and therefore more deadly. Unfortunately age is no barrier unlike the old one and what transpired at Lilongwe Girls Secondary School should serve as a warning to us all.
Thus being sick don’t u know that all lilongwe girls students are oky now proving that youth are oky with it and they never went home they were healed at their school. You mean Corona is in schools only and not in bars and markets.U should be sick and dull , Corona has come to stay and we have to learn to live with it that was President Chakwela first statement. The President is goodman but pipo around him are useless want to show the President that they are doing more to be claiming more allowances .Please don’t spoil our… Read more »
More transmissible does not mean more deadly but, if more than contract the disease from the variant being more transmissible, more will die.
Open the schools our daughters are just being banged left front and centre, rescue our daughters. Open schools ana akutenga zimimba.
Why can’t you just open school in your house and starting teaching your libidos children right in your house?