Zimbabwe teachers threaten to strike if schools reopen

Teachers in Zimbabwe have opposed a phased reopening of schools saying safety measures were not yet in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the state-owned Herald newspaper reports.

The teachers’ union chairperson, Sifiso Ndlovu, was quoted in the paper as saying that if the government proceeded with the plan, teachers would go on strike.

Zimbabwe’s education ministry recently announced plans to reopen schools starting with final year students to allow them to sit for national examinations starting on 29 June.

“Learners are not in the right psychological space to write examinations,” the Herald quoted Mr Ndlovu as saying.

He urged the government to consider cancelling the exams like the private Cambridge international examinations body had done.

Several African countries are planning to reopen schools in June including Tanzania and South Africa.