• Zambia has limited options for remote distance learning with lots of challenges.
• There is need to avoid any further school closure by increasing investment in learning institutions.
• Ministry of Finance should immediately release emergency funding to primary schools.

Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) has urged Ministries of General Education, Higher Education and Finance to strengthen Covid-19 measures in Schools.
ZANEC Executive Director George Hamusunga told Money FM News that the organization is concerned with the surge in the number of cases under the third wave of the pandemic, therefore protecting the health and safety of learners and preventing further learning loss should be the priority.
Mr. Hamusunga noted that Zambia is among countries globally that made a strategic decision to reopen schools amid the pandemic, hence there is need to avoid any further school closure by increasing investment in learning institutions aimed at making them resilient to the impact of the coronavirus.
He added that closing schools should not be an option, because the country has limited options for remote distance learning with lots of challenges.
“The decision to re-open schools last year resulted in Zambia being among the countries globally that have averted a learning crisis that majority of countries are now facing. This can be attributed the political will and leadership demonstrated by the Ministries of Health, General Education and Higher Education which have resulted in relatively minimal losses in learning due to the impact of COVID-19, compared to the situation in other Countries.”
“This progress notwithstanding, our greatest fear now is that the 3rd wave of the COVID-19 can easily erode our gains if we continue taking the business as usual approach. Our schools need to be in the emergency-response mode all the time. Closing of schools should not be an option, given the low reach of our alternative modes of education provision. Zambia has limited options for remote distance learning with lots of challenges. Therefore, schools are our only hope,” Mr. Hamusunga said.
He further stated that enforcing COVID-19 measures in schools requires collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and the two Ministries of Education to ensure the health and safety of learners.
And Mr. Hamusunga called on the Ministry of Finance to immediately release emergency funding to primary schools to enable school managements prepare adequately for the third wave.
“We are also concerned that the Ministry of Finance has so far not prioritized the safety and health of children amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. Currently, most of our schools have no resources to put adequate measures for the prevention of COVID-19. Therefore, we would like to call upon the Ministry of Finance to immediately release emergency funding to primary schools to enable school managements prepare adequately for the third wave,” he stated.
According to the Ministry of Health, Zambia has in the last 24 hours recorded 1, 231 new Covid-19 cases with six deaths, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 101,996 while the death toll now stands at 1,321.