[ad_1]
Schools in Ethiopia are reopening after nine months of closure following confirmation of the first COVID-19-19 in the country in March 2020. Since March, the disease has affected more than 100,000 people, killed nearly 2,000, and disrupted normal life activities, including education. However, in September 2020, the Government lifted the national state of emergency, which had been in force since March of the same year, relaxing some preventive measures initially instituted to stop the spread and paving the way to plan the safe reopening of schools.
Melaku Admasu, a father of three, was concerned about his children’s future, including their psychological well-being, as they had stayed home after school closings with minimal contact with their peers. “Although I am concerned about COVID-19-19 spreading through schools, I believe that the government has done everything possible to protect our children, ”he says, echoing the voices of many parents and caregivers. Melaku adds that despite the threats, she is happy that her children are going back to school to learn and interact with their friends.
Ethiopia has more than 39,000 schools, of which 7% are private, as well as several higher education institutions that have not been operational for more than nine months due to the COVID-19-19 pandemic. ‘As schools reopen, it is important that strict precautionary measures are taken to minimize the exposure of students, teachers and non-teaching staff to COVID-19-19 within the school premises and in the community, ” said Dr. Boureima Hama Sambo, who Country representative for Ethiopia. He emphasized that the reopening of the school is an opportunity to empower young people as agents of change to adopt the positive behaviors recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19-19. So far, 37,000 schools have reopened and have enrolled more than 20 million students.
who is working closely with health and education ministries and offices, as well as other partners, to support interventions to make reopening schools safe. the who The Ethiopia country office has supported the development of infection prevention and control guidelines and protocols to be used in schools to prevent the introduction and spread of the virus in schools. Different who teams – also known as ‘pillars’ in the COVID-19-19 preparedness and response incident management system- have contributed to the development and implementation of these guidelines, working with their counterparts in different government sectors. the who Ethiopia Country Office Infection Prevention and Control (CPI), Risk communication and community participation (RCCE), Surveillance and case management teams continue to collaborate with the government to ensure guidelines are adhered to at various learning institutions. Through its regional teams in all ten regions and Ethiopia’s two municipal administrations, the country office can support all regions in this process, including with regular evaluations and spot checks.
Much will depend on teaching and non-teaching staff to ensure that students resume their education in a safe and healthy environment, and to make up for the knowledge and skills that may have been lost during the closure period. “Every morning when I send my children to school, I am pleased to see that sanitary supplies are provided, that staff controls the temperature at the entrance and also prevents unauthorized visitors from entering the school grounds to minimize the number of people in the school. Melaku Admasu says. “My children go to school in shifts and they have strict instructions from their school not to share items or food. If they obey these rules, continue to wear their masks, wash their hands and don’t get too close to their friends, they will be safe. ”
In collaboration with partners, key messages on COVID-19-19 prevention have been developed and distributed to schools to motivate the school community to remain vigilant. To ensure a supportive community, parents have also been instructed on their role in preventing the spread of the new corona virus as their children resume school, including making sure their children have access to face masks and know how to use them correctly and consistently. .
The care that schools are taking to institute preparedness and prevention measures is an important step to protect the school community and the community at large, from COVID-19-19. A robust monitoring mechanism should be instituted to ensure ongoing compliance by all schools and institutions and to avoid future closures due to the spread of the virus in schools and institutions of higher learning.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the World Health Organization (who) – Ethiopia.
Download logo
Africanews offers APO Group content as a service to its readers, but does not edit the articles it publishes.
