09 Dec 2020

Government schools across the country are scheduled for cyclic maintenance every five years.

However, issues of backlog, budgetary considerations and implementation capacity have made it difficult to adhere to the schedule.

This was said by Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Ms Nnaniki Makwinja when answering a question in Parliament.

On the maintenance of schools in the Shoshong constituency as asked by Shoshong MP, Mr Aubrey Lesaso, Ms Makwinja said Shoshong Junior Secondary School underwent cyclic maintenance in the 2014/15 financial year.

She said while the school was supposed to have been refurbished again in 2019/20, this was not done due to financial constraints. He said maintenance for Mahutagane and Kalamare junior schools was also due and had been affected by budgetary constraints.

“Shoshong Senior Secondary School has had minor maintenance done over the years including this year, where science laboratories, windows, ablutions and the boys hostels were attended to.

The school is yet to benefit   from full cyclic maintenance,” she said.

Ms Makwinja said to address issues of environmental, health and safety standards, her ministry was working in conjuction with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and that of Local Government and Rural Development on a school health programme.

She said the programme was guided by the National School Health Procedures manual of 1999, which reflected the standards for schools.

“This manual is currently at an advanced stage of review to incorporate emerging health, safety and environmental issues including COVID-19,” she said.

The assistant minister explained that health and safety inspections, which were supposed to be conducted every six months, were done by the environmental, health and safety officers from the Central District Council to ensure compliance to COVID-19 protocols.

In the case of Soshong senior, she said the school was last inspected in September 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19.

“The inspection recommended the closure of the school for maintenance and replacement of furniture.

Maintenance work has since been carried out in the school to meet the minimum requirements for the school to operate,” she said.

Mr Lesaso had also asked the minister if there were environmental, health and safety standards for boarding schools, who was responsible for enforcing them together with inspection cycles for schools.

He had also wanted to know when Shoshong Senior Secondary School was last inspected, the findings of the exercise and actions taken. ENDS