Students attend a class at a school in Blantyre, Malawi, on March 9, 2021. Many schools in Malawi have opened their doors for class lessons after a three-week sit-in which saw teachers countrywide demanding COVID-19 risk allowance from the government. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)
BLANTYRE, Malawi, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Many schools in Malawi have opened their doors for class lessons after a three-week sit-in which saw teachers countrywide demanding COVID-19 risk allowance from the government.
However, after a long discussion between the Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) and the government, the two parties have resolved the disagreement, and teachers are back in classes. The teachers will now receive their risk allowance.
In Blantyre, the country's second-largest city, many schools were opened on Tuesday, even though the students turnout was a bit lower when classes have just resumed. During interviews, teachers expressed joy because they are now back in classes.
According to Yahaya Wyson, a senior teacher at Namiwawa Primary School in Blantyre, classes at the school have started on a good note and students are happy that they are now back at school.
"Meanwhile, knowing that the students are behind the school calendar, we have plans to introduce remedial work which is going to help the students to catch up with the lesson. As of now, we have started with basic revisions to keep the students on track. In terms of COVID-19 prevention, in line with World Health Organization preventive guidelines, the school management is continuing with a set of rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the students and management," he said.
On the other hand, students are excited that the school is now open and that lessons are being delivered as usual. Mayamiko Kanyedze, a student at Namiwawa Primary could not hide her joy, she said that she is now happy.
"Am very happy that we have now returned to school, when we were at home we could not do anything concerning school because we lacked motivation. Oftentimes, we spent our time playing or watching television. It's good news that we are back, as one way of preparing for the final government examination, am studying hard, solving mathematics and other things, and above all I am protecting myself from COVID-19 by following all the guidelines," she said.
Samuel Dzimbiri, a parent, said that there is a lot to be desired in efforts to ensure that there are better conflict resolution methods in dealing with prime problems in various systems.
"Much as money is important to every individual's sustainability, teachers and other stakeholders must come up with better solutions that can not infringe the basic human right of education to children, in this whole situation, children are the ones who have suffered most, yet they are innocent," he said. Enditem
