Africa-Press – Malawi. As schools re-open in Blantyre and Lilongwe cities today, the Education Committee of Parliament has called for close monitoring of education institutions. Committee chairperson Brainax Kaise said Monday that Blantyre and Lilongwe city schools should not take the reopening of schools for granted.
“As such, they should not allow food from outside boarding schools to come near schools for the time being. Basins should be available in all schools. It would have been important if students were also prioritised in cholera vaccine administration,” he said.
Civil Society Education Coalition Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe concurred. “In addition, hygiene protocols should be followed to prevent the spread of cholera among learners.
“The government should ensure that it provides essentials such as chlorine and other tools to control the spread of cholera. We expect the government to regularly monitor conditions in schools,” he said.
Last week, Education Minister Agness Nyalonje said schools have been directed to ban those that sell pre-cooked foods on school premises. The Presidential Taskforce on Covid and Cholera announced two weeks ago that the two-week postponement of school opening in the cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe was meant to stem cholera cases. There are about five million learners in primary schools, of whom 38,000 are in boarding schools, Ministry of Education statistics indicate
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