THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has lifted a ban against parents and guardians visiting children learning in boarding schools but retained standard operation procedures to curb the spread of respiratory infections in learning institutions.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, Government
banned parents and guardians from visiting children in boarding schools.
The Ministry also adopted various measures including
mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing among other measures in schools.
The measures were credited for making schools safe when
they reopened, following prolonged closures due to the threat posed by the
pandemic.
In a Ministry’s Circular Minute Number 5 of 2023 directed
to Chief Directors; Provincial Education Directors, District Schools
Inspectors, Heads of Primary and Secondary Schools, Principals of Independent
Colleges Staff and Teacher’s Associations, Association of Trust Schools and
Church Education Secretaries, Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary
Mrs Tumisang Thabela said the ministry continues to align to pre-Covid-19 times
hence the need to lift the schools visits ban.
She said the decision is premised on a Cabinet decision
which said the country was no longer treating Covid-19 as a public health
emergency of international concern in
line with the World Health Organisation recommendation.
“Reference is made to the Post-Cabinet Briefing on the 9
May 2023 which stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had released a
statement indicating that COVID-19 no longer constitutes as a Public Health
Emergency of International Concern,” she said.
“In line with the Government position, on 9 June 2023 the
Ministry of Health and Child Care issued a circular allowing the lifting of
COVID-19 containment measures which included restriction of both local and
foreign travel, home quarantine, vaccination of citizens 12 years and above,
screening of travelers, isolation of cases, supervision of burials,
disinfection of premises and otherstandard operating procedures which assisted
the country in reducing the spread and impact of the pandemic.
“In view of the foregoing the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education has revised its position on parental visits to children at
boarding schools. With immediate effect, heads of schools are allowed to resume
the previous practice of organised parental visits to schools.”
Cabinet struck off mandatory wearing of masks and
presenting of PCR tests at the country’s port of entries for visitors coming into
the country.
Mrs Thabela said the ministry will maintain temperature
screening, strict hand-washing, availability of clean water, and high standards
of sanitation and hygiene at every learning institution as permanent
measures for mitigating against any
communicable and influenza like diseases in schools.
She said as directed by Cabinet, schools should continue
with the vaccination programme. Chronicle
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