PS: PARENTS NOT FORCED TO SIGN SCHOOLS CONSENT FORM

MBABANE – Signing of the consent form for pupils to report to school, which  was issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, is voluntary.
This was confirmed by the Principal Secretary in the ministry, Bertram Stewart. Stewart, however, encouraged parents to sign the forms adding that it was a ‘good thing to do.’

He said they were interested in getting the general feeling among the parents following a complaint that was made by a guardian, who was not comfortable with her child being at school. In the form, the parents are supposed to approve that they want their children to attend school and make an undertaking to encourage their children to comply with the COVID-19 regulations and guidelines.

Risk

Human Rights Lawyer Sipho Gumede said signing of the forms by parents was a voluntary assumption of risk on the guardian’s side to be in a situation where at any point the child should contract COVID-19, government would not be liable.
Gumede said the buck stopped with the parents as all powers to ensure protection of children were vested in them, adding that it was up to the guardians whether or not to take the risk.

“Sending of children to school is a decision made by the parents and no one else,” he said.
He said parents were therefore at liberty to assume some form of risk and if they did, “they should know that they should not reach a stage whereby they blame any other person should any danger occur.”

Gumede stated that if he was to be placed in government’s shoes, he would have done the same thing. According to Gumede, parents should bare the consequences in mind when signing the forms.

Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini said by the issuance of the forms by government, the ministry was clearly stating that it should not be held accountable should a pupil fall sick or die due to the virus.

Dlamini said head teachers were being taken for a ride by the ministry, as the blame would be shifted on them for allowing pupils Who attend school.
He noted that whatever would happen in the process would be apportioned to both parents and head teachers. Some interviewed parents said it was clear that government did not want to take any blame should the children contract the virus.

“In any event, these are our children. But if government is unsure about the safety of our children, why were the schools opened then?” one parent remarked.

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