All public and private schools closed on March 16 following confirmation of the first two Covid-19 cases in the country.

The executive director for the education ministry, Sanet Steenkamp, said via a statement that Grade 11 and 12 classes would resume on June 3.

The second phase would be for Grade three pupils, who would start on June 22. Grades seven and nine would be part of phase three, classes for which would resume on July 6. 

The final phase would see grades four, five, six and eight returning to class on July 20. 

The academic year would end on December 18, said Steenkamp. 

She said that the critical grades of 11 and 12 would resume classes first as they had to prepare for external examinations. 

According to Namibian media reports, at least 80% of schools were ready to receive pupils.

Daily newspaper, The Namibian reported Steenkamp saying during a live panel discussion that in preparation for reopening, schools had procured soap, tippy taps (water is released via a foot pedal instead of having to turn a tap), and had undergone deep cleaning. 

Steenkamp said water would be provided through tanks - with the help of the agriculture ministry; by connecting schools close to water pipes, and by setting up boreholes.

The newspaper also reported that the Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) cautioned schools may not be ready to fully reopen due to a lack of adequate resources to ensure social distancing.

TUN secretary-general Mahongora Kavihuha warned that resuming all classes by the end of July was impractical as there would not be enough time to ensure the safety of children. 

He said the union proposed conditions for the reopening of schools to the ministry, which include maintaining a distance of one metre between desks, masks provided to each pupil, sanitisers in every class and a hand-washing station at the entrance of each classroom.

"Schools have not received funding for these conditions to be implemented, and we are already in the third week after lockdown. Compromising pupils' health by trying to open [too soon] will not work," he told the newspaper.

He said for pupils to sit one metre apart, additional classrooms and teachers would be required.

According to a report in the daily newspaper New Era, the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) and TUN agreed that critical grades should resume on June 3 instead of delaying the academic calendar, however, the strict measures mentioned by Kavihuha should be implemented. 

Namibia's ministry of health has not reported a single new Covid-19 case over the past 43 days. The country had 16 cases of the virus, 14 recoveries, and currently has two active cases. No Covid-19 deaths have been recorded, and, to date, the country has tested 2,586 citizens. 

African News Agency (ANA)