by Grace Chekai

All classes have now opened after closing earlier this year due to the outbreak of the highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19) which infected  8 531 people and claimed 253 lives in the country.

According to a headmaster of a local school in Harare who spoke to this publication today, the attendance rate of pupils and teachers had increased greatly, compared to the past weeks when the exam classes opened.

“I am so pleased by the attendance of teachers today. As you are aware, today marks the third phase of re-opening of schools.

“Forms 1 and 2, Grades 1 to 5 and Early Childhood Development (ECD) are the ones who have started classes today. It is the last group, which means that the schools are now operating at full capacity. We will do all we can to ensure that all the classes finish their syllabi,”said the headmaster.

The headmaster said that some of the classes, except ECD grades, would be hot sitting, so as to enforce social distancing.

 “Some classes will be hot sitting, but ECD grades will continue with their timetable. We will do all we can to ensure that they will not be affected in any way,” said the headmaster.

The headmaster said parents should dismiss the information being spread on the social media that parents should not send their children to school as teachers were still not reporting for duty.

Part of the of the alleged fake message circulating on social media reads, “Teachers and school heads hereby warn and advise all parents to hold their children starting next week Monday, no teacher will be on duty because of genuine reason of total incapacitation.”

The schools which closed in March this year, re-opened in three phases following the decline in the numbers of new cases and deaths of people infected by the highly infectious COVID-19.