Luke Bisani
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| Catholic University of Malawi Students on Campus before COVID-19 |
Perhaps it is not only the education sector that faces a hard bite in Malawi if Coronavirus is here to stay as disclosed by the World health body. Having in mind that this sector is the backbone of other sectors, let’s see what is to be chewed this guest has really come to stay on this planet.
A week ago, The World Health Organisation (WHO) through its Emergencies Director Michael Ryan disclosed the likelihood that COVID-19 might be included on the list of viruses staying with humankind.
“This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this may never go away,” quoted Ryan on international media.
He added that efforts by countries and health stakeholders to combat the virus might not wipe out it entirely just like HIV.
“HIV has not gone away, but we have come to terms with the virus,” added Ryan.
If Ryan’s prophecy comes true, Malawi’s education sector has a hard task to adjust staying with the visitor.
As a way of preventing the spread of the virus, social distancing has been recommended, but looking at the picture of pupils enrolled in our government primary schools, it is doubtful whether Malawi can implement it social distance in government primary schools.
Social distancing demands the country to have more school blocks to be used by learners and more teachers to be recruited, a development achievement that Malawi has failed for decades.
Government secondary schools have a similar image of high students. The teacher ratio is a development that is to frustrate social distancing if we are to live with COVID-19 with schools open.
In an attempt to enroll more students in public institutions of higher education, the government adopted a policy of enrolling candidates based on class space. Though this was a good move as it helped more students to walk through the corridors of public universities and colleges, this could not be ideal if Coronavirus is here to stay with us.
Many public universities and colleges face a challenge of limited class space as some courses have hundreds of students, filling the classrooms to door frames. If the virus is here to stay with us, Malawi will need millions of dollars for the education sector to adjust to living with COVID-19.
Propagandas splashed by politicians on additional schools and recruitment of teachers must be turned to reality if the virus has felt at home on earth, something that demands a healthy pocket to be done.
Private schools also face a similar challenge. The owners need to invest for them to live with COVID-19. The virus is to demand more teacher recruitment, additional space to be used for learning and other facilities that are to make social distance effective.