School Reopening – Our Questions

By Mmabore Mogashoa
Makhuduthamaga, Sekhukhune
20 May 2020

After the announcement that children should go back to school I started asking myself questions:
1. Will our children be safe at school. Will each child be checked whenever he is out of the class?
2. If some of the parents are at home not at work because of COVID-19, Why should children go to school?
3. Who is going to monitor the kids while at school?
4. COVID-19 cases are increasing, and why the rush?
5. Some of the schools don’t have water, will water be sorted in just weeks before the re-opening of schools?
6. We are not even on Level one. What if cases continue rising?
7. Most of the people are not being tested to see if they are free from the virus which means the numbers are not accurate. There might be people who have the virus. Will the children and family members be tested before the re-opening?
8. Mines have cases too, does our lives come first?
9. Why can’t we wait till we are sure everyone is safe?
10. Children play together, use transport and others walk to school. Will the transport be sanitized? And make sure they use sanitizers at all times?
11. Will the school be safe for our children?
12. Is there enough sanitizers, gloves and mask for the children at school?
13. How many times will our kids be tested in schools?
14. Will they start with classes or COVID-19 lessons?
15. One mask should be worn for how long while at school?
16. For schools that get food subsidies, will there be people to do proper COVID-19 checks?
17. For people who will be cooking, will they be also. Checked before start working and on daily bases?
18. Will there be enough staff to work at school premises?
19. Will the teaching and student materials be checked for the virus?
20. Will each school ( rural and urban) treated the same way?
21. Besides mask, sanitizers and gloves what will be given to the children to wear on top of their uniforms? Some children wear a jersey more than once when is cold because of not having enough uniform for the whole week.

Some of mine workers went back to work and there were new cases. If this is a problem to adults, what will happen to a grade 7 child?