07 Jul 2021

A total of 168 teachers have died from March last year to July 5 this year, Minister of Basic Education has said.

Answering a parliamentary question on Tuesday, Minister Fidelis Molao indicated that of the 168 deaths, 52 were COVID-19 related. 

He added that 24 support staff members had also succumbed to COVID-19 related complications.

Consequently, he said the ministry remained on high alert following the recent outbreak of the new COVID-19 variant.

Mr Molao noted that government had already prioritised teachers and other frontline workers for vaccination against COVID-19.

However, he stated that specific dates for vaccination of teachers would be communicated once the Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed adequate supply of vaccines.

In the meantime, he encouraged teachers aged 55 and above to get vaccinated in line with the current vaccination programme targeted at that age cohort.

Furthermore, he stated that the ministry had put in place a number of measures to ensure schools were safe from COVID-19 such as installation of hand-wash stations at entry and exit points as well as strategic locations.

Other measures include temperature screening, splitting of classrooms to ensure compliance to at least one meter social distancing requirement and engagement of SHE officers, among others.

Mr Molao was responding to questions from Tati West MP, Mr Simon Moabi, who had asked the minister to appraise Parliament on how many teachers had succumbed to COVID-19 related complications to date.

Mr Moabi also wanted to know whether it was not prudent to prioritise teachers for vaccination in view of the escalating number of infections and deaths across the country.

He further wanted to know other measures that had been put in place to make schools safer. ENDS