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Botswana Schools Reopen Amid Concerns Over Preparedness

Mqondisi Dube

   GABARONE, BOTSWANA - Public schools in Botswana re-opened this week,
   after a two-month break due to COVID-19, but some remained closed as
   they failed to meet new safety requirements.

   This week, Botswana reopened schools following the end of a seven-week
   lockdown on May 21.

   While the government made efforts to upgrade facilities at public
   schools, some were not ready on the day of reopening on Tuesday.

   Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions secretary general, Tabokani
   Rari said the reopening should have been delayed.
   "The best solution in our view is that we should push the deadline or
   the timeline for reopening by two weeks, so that we could then push
   those that are behind to also move towards complying so that when we
   restart schools," Rari said. "All schools should open at the same
   time."

   Rari estimates that around 60% of public schools had not met new safety
   standard.

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