It is common knowledge that every government has to formulate and implement practical measures to protect its citizens against the Corona Virus that is spreading so rapidly across the globe. It is a responsibility of every government to devise concrete actions that will give hope and confidence to its citizenry. However, pre-mature closing of public schools with only three weeks before they go into recess is not one of the solutions that the Zambian government should have opted for. If anything, especially in the remote areas, school children make effective agents of information dissemination to people that have limited access to current affairs, as they act as both mediators and interpreters of diverse public information. Consequently, the closure of public schools in Zambia will only disadvantage pupils from poor families, as parents from the well to do families will always find a way, mostly by engaging part time teachers to teach their children behind closed doors.
The decision makers did not make the right ruling of consulting various stakeholders in this fight against the Corona Virus, but were apparently pressured to emulate what other countries are doing. Seemingly, the Zambian decision makers have been alarmed by the happenings in Europe that have been broadcasted globally by their influential media houses. By the time Zambia made a drastic decision to close public schools, the country never even had any case to refer to as the basis for the decision. If anything, African countries like Zambia should be in the forefront to educate European countries on how to deal with virus outbreaks, and not the other way round. Zambia has in years battled with the Cholera epidemic, while also shielding itself from the Ebola Virus agitating in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. These two viruses are more deadly, and much more complicated to contain than the Corona Virus, thus Zambian experts have amassed great experience in how to deal with such viruses. Therefore, instead of copy pasting how Europe is dealing with the Corona epidemic, Zambia should have been the one exporting knowledge on how to deal with such epidemics using the Cholera and Ebola experiences. The countries’ Epidemiologists should be in the forefront of using local experience in the country to scale it at global level to help other needy countries experiencing such calamities for the first time in centuries. For example, the Chinese doctors that have battled the Corona virus in Wuhan, China have now shifted camp to Italy because they have gained enough experience from their situation.
One of the reasons most European countries closed public schools or rather shifted the learning spaces from schools to home was that, schools in most countries in Europe were just re-opening after a one-week winter break when the Corona Virus struck. As per European tradition during this school winter break, there is overwhelming cross border holidays by families, thus there was always going to be a big chance of pupils\families importing the Corona Virus from across the borders when schools re-opened. Against this background, most European governments decided that school was going to be done online using different media platforms. Needless to mention here that most European schools have online learning spaces already established, thus, it was quite easy to make a decision that schools be physically closed, but remain open remotely through online interaction between pupils and teachers. This is also true for countries that have done the same in Africa, such as Egypt, Rwanda, and South Africa. These countries’ local technology is quite advanced such that even if public schools have been ordered to close, learning will somehow still take place through technological platforms deliberately installed by the respective governments.
Unfortunately, for Zambia, decisions were made without any consideration for the poor children who will now be languishing in the congested homes without any deliberate alternative on the part of the government. In some of the under-served communities in Zambia, the children are better off being at school because the situation at home is much worse than being at school. For example, in some under-served communities, it is quite difficult to get clean water to wash hands multiple times as recommended by the WHO, households can be more crowded and in some cases, up to 12 people will share a small house. Thus, self-quarantine and social isolation as it is being propagated by Western methods is not practically possible in these under-served communities, and other high-density areas of the big cities. The pupils in these areas are more at risk of catching and spreading the Corona virus if they stayed home than if they remained in school. This gives a greater opportunity for public institutions like boarding schools in the country to work as isolation centres where pupils are shielded from the rest of the community with strict rules of guiding the in and out human traffic. As at now, it is common knowledge that Zambia does not have any domestically transmitted Corona Virus case, meaning that schools especially boarding schools should have been kept intact without exposing them to people that have travelled. Sending these pupils home will only expose them to the virus now that it is being imported into the country through people that have travelled to affected regions.
It is a fact that this virus originated from Asia, then to Europe and other parts of the world, meaning that what Zambia needed was to first impose a strict policy measure to cramp down on the travelling between Zambia and these affected regions. But alas! the people that should have been in the forefront to do this at the time when Zambia needed it most were busy on a campaign trail in Chilubi. Zambia needed to act decisively then when the virus was detected in China by imposing travel restrictions on the citizens and foreigners arriving from these countries. Now, the policy makers want to show concern that they are on top of the game by closing schools, because that is the easiest of the measures to undertake. If the policy makers had consulted widely from the various stakeholders locally, then it should have been the independent private schools, the colleges and the universities that should have closed first before the public schools are affected. The independent private schools should have closed first because that is where the vulnerability of contracting the Corona Virus is higher because the parents in these schools have a greater probability of travelling to and from the affected regions. A child at Mabumbu Primary School located on the edge of the Bulozi Plain in Limulunga, should not be denied the chance to go to school because some parent at Lake Road Primary School in Lusaka had travelled to Paris, thus bringing the virus along.
Apart from the probability of parents travelling to the epicentres of the virus, pupils in these independent private schools have alternative learning spaces such as media that they can still utilize as opposed to pupils in public schools. After all, the decision makers have their children in these independent private schools, and seemingly care less if learning in public schools is effective or not. Using media as an alternative learning space is also true for the public and private colleges and universities. In these institutions, the teacher\student interaction can still take place using internet alternatives as opposed to the public schools. Pupils in public schools have been given very limited information on the way forward, and how to navigate the Corona Virus period. For example, the authorities are not emphasising to the pupils that they are sending home, the importance of staying fit and positive. Pupils that have been told to stay home must be encouraged instead, to exercise a lot so that they cultivate higher levels of physical fitness and a positive mind-set. This is because it is scientifically reported that the virus is mostly killing people whose immune system is already weakened by lack of physical fitness, and the presence of other ailments. Therefore, some physical exercises as opposed to sitting inactive in isolation could make a huge difference. Pupils should equally be encouraged to walk\jog from point A to point B when it concerns reasonable distances as opposed to using congested buses or trains. Thus, it is not just a question of sending pupils home, it is important to also give them such vital information as to stay fit, with a positive mentality, as opposed to fear and stress.
Generally, apart from the measures that have now been implemented as regards to travellers coming into the country from abroad. There is also need for the authorities to devise measures to check all travellers travelling between Lusaka and the rest of the country, and the Copperbelt and the rest of the country, or\and restricting travel internally. This is because Lusaka and the Copperbelt have a higher probability of people contracting the virus because of the density of the populations in these areas, and having more people travelling abroad. For the rest of the country, the travel history remains low and containment is the most appropriate strategy, as efforts to engage with local community leaders as stakeholders before a full-blown crisis occurs in Zambia is key. As the only cases that have been reported so far in the country came from people who travelled back from abroad, then unity of purpose to prevent the virus from engulfing our already limping socio-economic landscape is the only option. However, it is too early to close public schools without a wide consultation from various stakeholders.
By Kabanda Mwansa
The author is a Zambian social commentator and a PhD research fellow at the Centre for Child and Youth Competence Development at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.
It was a political decision to close schools! Politicians don’t want to be blamed for not taking certain actions. If anything, it’s the many Zambians who were calling for the closures. GRZ merely bowed to public pressure to do as the people had demanded!
GRZ closes schools, you ask why GRZ closed schools. GRZ does not close schools, you ask why GRZ is not closing schools.
What do you people want kanshi?
Prevention is always better than cure
Pupils in Boarding schools were by far much safer than in the communities they have been plunged into.
Corona is real. Prevention is better cure. Cholera or Ebola are easier to detect, contain and deal with. This corona is something else
Prevention is better than cure. Life is far much more important than Exercise 2 in the text book. Children in schools come from different homes and in such homes they also receive visitors from different parts of the world where such pandemics can be serious. Lets not cry over closure of schools. Its a better option baba. Dont live in the past and write too much and yet the point is not worth taking.
Disaster!!!!
Two male residents who flew back from Portugal on March 17-18 have tested positive, Angolan Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta said on Saturday, while Eritrea said its first case was a 39-year-old national who had arrived from Norway.
Uganda’s first case was announced early on Sunday by Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng. She said the man flew in to the country from Dubai on Saturday and was in stable condition.
FROM JUST THE LITTLE DATA ABOVE ONE CAN TELL THAT THE DISEASE IS MORE AERO BORNE, WHY AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARE NOT SHUTTING THEIR AIRPORTS IS SO MIND BOGGLING.
“it is not just a question of sending pupils home, it is important to also give them such vital information as to stay fit, with a positive mentality, as opposed to fear and stress”. Good point, that is where the Ministry of Education missed it!!
Wasnt this published here before?
Comment:This is a well written article no doubt. But its flawed. Its to early for one to conclude that its less dangerous than Ebola & cholera. What you are not putting into account is this….its a new virus & currently under study. Therefore, no one knows its full severity, no one knows exactly how it’s spread & no one knows exactly how to combat it..save for those few precautions, which despite them, people especially in high risk areas are still getting infected.
Please do not mislead Zambians. This pandemic is deadly and we should all at the moment be concerned and put in place preventative measures. Opinions and conclusions should be left to the end once the spread of the virus is under control.
If this article was published in Norway or any developed countries, the author could have had difficulties defending this publication.
God bless Zambia.
Mr Chibanda Chansa is living in the false World of his own and of the few examples of educated fo.olish idyots living in Norway doing research in useless course that has nothing to do with health or disease control. Of Govt was right to close schools although the move was late!
First of all COVID-19 and Cholera are 2 different diseases with COVID-19 being caused by a virus (and therefore harder to treat) and Cholera is caused by Bacteria (and far much easier to treat). So closure for COVID was the most effective action to avoid school kids grouping in numbers and infecting each other. Remember there is no treatment yet for COVID BUT there are lots of known effective treatments for Cholera.
Remember that kids especially those from rural areas are even much safer at their rural homes…
…… where there are no Chinese or Italian tourists. Intelligent students would compare but you didn’t, so you are a disaster. By coincidence the UK has had one of the lowest number of cases but they shut down schools on the same day as Zambia so when you look at what happened to Italy, you can see that both UK and Zambia were right to shut down – there is NO CURE AND TIME to experiment YOU IDYOT!!
I would urge Lusaka Times team to remove the posting as it defeats the efforts by various governments and stakeholders in sensitising the people regarding this new deadly virus. One wrong clinical/health message/advice regarding Covid-19 by non clinicians can leave a lot of Zambian residents dead.
0 deaths 2 cases ati pf government is not doing enough and people will die.
Minster decides to close schools based on a risk assessment of the situation- ati cholera is more dangerous why are you closing schools.
You cannot win with these political chancers. We are in government and our role is to rule and make executive decisions on your behalf . We have just done that in this case so just live with it and move on!
Whoever wrote this crap is very stupid. May LT convey what I have said to him or her. Over 13,000 deaths within 4 months and have the audacity to compare convid-19 with useless cholera.
As others have pointed out, GRZ was pressured by the major stakeholder – we the public and AI scientific data.
Author is looking at mortality rate in defining which one is deadly. Using this method is wrong, the deadliness of on an infection is calculated from its infection rate not mortality rate. So far data is showing that COVID-19 infects 80% of people that come in contact with it, and a peak mortality rate of 3%.
What would makes COVID-19 even dangerous for us is the lack of rapid test kits.
Ba LT please take down this article which puts lives at risk. Journalism ethics require that articles that risk mass loss of life based on speculation should never be given widen readership.
The author claims to be in Europe, the epicenter, an wants to down play the risks to Zambians, where the health system is weak. Coronavirus is real and we should have even closed borders.
There is too much misinformation as it is. Please take it seriously and remove this let you also be responsible.
Already, 400 million puipils and students world wide are impacted by Covid-19, and affected institutions are busy working hard to find solutions. So, the question is what is the Zambian government working on to mitigate this problem? Have they just sent puipls home waiting for tommorow? Are we still waiting for London to give guidance? Lets be serious, we need local solutions to address this. I think that is the argument in this article if i have understood it. Dont send puipils home without solutions!!
Why did LT bring back this article. LT if you have space and time just publish what will help people around the world in fighting Covid-19. LT your site is international so don’t sell your soul because pushing an agenda of a person who just makes a one off payment in exchange of your global reputation is strange to me. Closing public institutions is one method being applied globally to control Covid-19 and you are forcing the misguided thoughts of your client on people who come to read on LT, for what?
As a news platform ba Lusaka times you should now be publishing stories that can help society do its part to protect themselves from this scourge. You should be publishing myth busters. Educating people about how personal behavioural change can help. Educating them about how it is transmitted. If you are ignorant yourselves as reporters use your internet bundles to spend more time on the WHO website. WTF is wrong with you?
The point here is that our government is so weak to do local research of how they can control the epidemic despite having had other epidemics like Cholera. All they are doing is copying what other countries are doing it, which is not enough. Zambia needs to do some home work and come up with its own ways of mitigating the virus, the Zambian social landscape may not support some of these foreign solutions. The article talks about the boarding schools for example, I think that is a very brilliant contribution, and this article should not just be rubbished, but learn from it.
@Na Mpundwe: You need to increase your ARV dosage that you are taking because you are going insane. First of all, to hell with your NGO mentality of capacities nonsense! This is real and people are dying world over! Of course the Govt is weak and has no money to do your useless research! But is research on this virus necessary in Zambia really necessary? Think with your head NOT your pu.ss.ey ok!!
Get it into your U.G.LY small brains that there is nothing wrong with copying an act or action if it will save lives from COVID19. Everything, especially medicine, that you see is copied around; the ARVs which you are taking are made in India as Generic medicines; no country has enough resources to carry out research on everything!
Ba AK, I doubt if you have exhausted reading the article, the article is not as negative as you are putting it, the author carefully, and systematically pushes the authorities to prioritise what must be done at a right time with wide consultation. She\he appreciates that schools must be closed at some point, but the decision should be informed by what is obtaining on the ground, and not what is happening in other countries. The author talks about shutting the boaders because the transmission is from outside for example, that is positive. She\he talks about isolating the borading schools and use them as safe centers for school children. She\he talks about giving information to school children on the need to be physically fit in this period, and that school authorities should give hope…
#Chilyata uli tole sana, learn to read and analyse issues. research simply means LOOKING into something before you, it doesnt mean long research, a days analysis of what is obtaining is research enough. Look at Malawi it has not bored to Western Media, but doing what is right for them. I know you are PF, that why anyone that gives checks and balances to the government ninshi wakalipa!! Grow up, and respect diverse opinions.
Wake up! Listen to BBC, Italy, CNN etc! Be proactive and survive to feed the world!
IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO CLOSE LEARNING INSTITUTIONS IN A COUNTRY WHERE THERE ARE ONLY THREE CASES. SOMEONE SAID THE UK AND ZAMBIA CLOSED SCHOOLS ON THE SAME DAY. WHAT HE DID NOT MENTION IS THAT UK HAD RECORDED THOUSANDS OF CASES BY THAT TIME AND HUNDREDS OF DEATHS. WHAT PREVENTION ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT BY CLOSING LEARNING INSTITUTIONS? MEANWHILE YOU ARE IMPORTING THE VIRUS THROUGH YOUR AIRPORTS AND OPEN BORDERS. PLEASE CAN YOU OPEN THOSE SCHOOLS. PUBS ARE STILL OPEN, IN CHURCHES PEOPLE ARE STILL GATHERING, THAT IS DUNUNA REVERSE.