HARARE, Aug 21, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – Zimbabwe teachers have rejected the government’s proposal to reopen schools for examination classes, said Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) on Thursday.
Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Tuesday during a post-cabinet press briefing that the government will proceed with its preparation to reopen schools for final examination classes.
In response, ARTUZ said in a statement that many students were not prepared to sit for the examinations due to the short studying time they have had this year.
ARTUZ said the November examinations should be moved to May 2021 to give learners enough time to prepare.
“Examination candidates have lost five solid months of learning time in the critical final year of their studies. They are likely to lose more,” said the statement.
“It is practically impossible to frog-march these ill prepared learners into the examination room and expect them to cough out good results. Apart from the minority elite learners, the rest will fail,” the statement added.
While some students have continued classes through e-learning during lockdown, the vast majority of students in rural areas have been disadvantaged due to a lack of access to the internet.
ARTUZ said learners have also suffered psychological trauma as a result of the COVID-19 movement restrictions.
“Learners have been confined to their homes since 31 March to date. The confinement is highly traumatic and triggers mental health problems. It will be cruel to force such learners into an examination room without providing therapy for the learners,” read parts of the statement.
Schools across Zimbabwe have been closed since the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The move to reopen schools comes at a time when COVID-19 cases in the country are on a rise. As of Thursday, Zimbabwe has reported 5,745 confirmed cases and 151 deaths.