Directors of independent schools in Malawi have announced their planned demonstrations slated for Friday this week over failure by government to re-open schools by June 1, 2020.

Chairperson for the Directors Coaxley Kamange said government is playing them down by not adhering to Covid-19 preventive measures that they earlier discussed to be applied when reopening the schools.

“We wrote the President on the issue and proposed for precautionary measures to be considered when reopening the schools but up to now we haven’t been answered by either the President or Education Ministry that’s why we are proceeding the demonstrations,” said Kamange.

He added that both radio and online learning that government is enrolling across the country is not effective especially for learners in rural settings.

“75 percent of most leaners are come from poor backgrounds especially those in rural areas and that with both radio and online learning they cannot access lessons because of their inability to have enabling resources,” lamented Kamange.

But reacting to the development, Spokesperson in the Ministry of Education Chikondi Chimala says the Ministry is working on a number of Covid-19 interventions towards ensuring that leaners are learning despite schools being closed.

“Government, through Special Committee is working on the issue of reopening schools and we have requested the public to submit their input in a scenario that if schools open, what conditions should be adhered to in order to protect students,” said Chimala.

The National Planning Taskforce on the Possible Re-opening of Schools, Colleges and Universities announced on Tuesday that it has recommended to the Presidential Taskforce on Coronavirus that all learning institutions be re-opened on July 13, 2020.