DAY 2: SMOOTH OPERATIONS IN MOST SCHOOLS

MBABANE – The second day of the reopening of schools was much better in comparison to day one, as operations were smoother in most of the learning institutions.

However, there were some schools which still needed to be assisted with regard to adhering to all the guidelines put forth by government. Following the disorder experienced on Monday which included failure to observe social distancing by pupils, lack of water tanks and dysfunctional thermal scanners, yesterday saw an improvement in most schools.

During a visit by this reporter to some of the local schools, it was established that most learners were observing social distancing. The screening process at the gates also proved to be more efficient as the pupils and teachers arrived on time to undertake this exercise.

Lessons

This led to a majority of the schools beginning their lessons on time whereas on Monday, the teachers spent a better part of the day screening the pupils and sensitising them on the coronavirus.
Learning at St Francis High, which was among the institutions that experienced disorder on Monday, continued smoothly yesterday after the school put its house in order.

The school also had challenges with social distancing as crowding at the gate was observed and teachers had a difficulty controlling the pupils. However, this was not the case yesterday. According to a senior teacher at the school, Mfanimpela Mkhonta, they were able to correct their mistakes, including fixing the faulty thermal scanners that read wrong temperatures the previous day. Mkhonta said they started screening the pupils from as early as 7am to avoid any queues and possible crowding by pupils. He said they were happy that order was restored. 

SOS Hermann Gmenier High School Head teacher Welcome Mhlanga, said generally everything went very well compared to the first day (Monday).
Mhlanga said the school was emphasising more on the guidelines to be adhered to by teachers and pupils.
He added that a COVID-19 session was allocated in the timetable, where pupils were guided on what they were expected to do. Mhlanga said they were receiving reports that some pupils were removing their masks. This, he said, did not only affect his school but others across the country, as most of them were not used to the masks and felt uncomfortable when wearing them.

“We encourage them to put on the masks and wash their hands with soap and water constantly,” he said.

Screening

Mhlanga noted that there was a habit of using illegal entry points by the pupils when they were late, something they discouraged as they had to go through the screening process. 
KaSchiele High School Head teacher Nokuthula Mbatha said the progress at the school was impressive, adding that pupils had started their lessons. However, she said they were worried about the behavioural change among the pupils than the syllabus.

Mbatha said it was a bit hectic on Monday as it was the first day, but they were able to adjust. She stated that pupils were consistently wearing their masks properly. On the other hand, Woodlands High School Head teacher Lizzy Manyatsi said they were still adjusting to the ‘new normal’.

Manyatsi said there was a delay in the screening of pupils, caused by the fact that there was still panic among both teachers and learners who were worried about contracting COVID-19. “The situation was worse on the first day of school, but it is getting better with each day,” she said. She said the school dedicated the entire first day to sensitise pupils on COVID-19 and  allocated half an hour in their timetable everyday to COVID-19 education. The head teacher said they had also encouraged the pupils to avoid sharing books.

Manyatsi said they were experiencing challenges on issues of social distancing during break and lunchtime as the pupils were not used to it. On another note, she stated that marking was tiresome for teachers who had to sanitise after marking each exercise book.

Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza said they were impressed with the progress made by the schools. Mabuza said they realised the teething problems on the first day of opening, which she said was expected after closing for a very long time and under the conditions of the COVID-19 situation.
She said the improvement in ensuring safety for both teachers and pupils by most of the schools was commendable.

The minister said they were becoming worried about the behaviour displayed by the pupils who were loitering in town.
“Pupils are all over town and not wearing masks, yet they were given these by government and they are not social distancing,” she said.

Mabuza said they had engaged the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) to assist them in making sure that there was no pupil found loitering in town. She said pupils would contract the virus while hanging around town and pass it on to their families and schoolmates. The minister said this would seem as though they had contracted the virus in their various schools.

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