12 Jan 2021

Re-opening of government schools will be done in two phases.

Speaking during a press briefing in Francistown recently, Minister of Basic Education, Mr Fidelis Molao, said pupils would not open at the same time to avoid overcrowding and also to adhere to set health protocols.

Mr Molao said at the primary schools, upper classes; standard five, six and seven including standard ones would open tomorrow while the remaining classes would follow on January 19.

“For the standard ones, it is a way of giving them time to learn and adapt to the new environment. That is why they are opening on the 12th”, he said.

Moreover, he said pre-primary pupils together with those with special needs would resume their classes at the end of February.

Furthermore, the minister said for junior schools, form threes and form ones would be the only levels allowed to open tomorrow, adding that this would give form ones time to be well oriented.

He said form twos would open on the following week.

Mr Molao said at senior level, only form fives would resume their studies on the set date of school calendar, adding that for the boarding pupils, they would be expected to arrive a day before as has been the norm.

He noted that since Junior Certificate results had not been released, form four pupils would open after the release of the results.

The minister advised the private schools to stagger the opening of schools out of caution and communicate arrangements with parents and learners.

He appealed to the learners, teachers and community to adhere to the set protocols of COVID-19 to allow for the education of the pupils to continue uninterrupted.BOPA