Colleges To Be Reopened Monday 29th June

General Education Minister David Mabumba has announced that colleges of education will reopen on Monday 29th June, having been closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic since March 20th.

Speaking at a press conference in Lusaka on Tuesday, Mr Mabumba said colleges would initially open to graduating students, allowing them to adequately prepare for their final exams at the end of the year. 

“This is because the Ministry does not want to disturb the academic calendar for the final year students as they are writing their final examination,” he said. 

Mr Mabumba explained that his ministry had toured colleges around the country, inspecting their preparedness for reopening amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. He said the inspections had shown positive results but encouraged stakeholders to continue supporting school managers and to get involved in ensuring schools are safe for students to return. 

The minister advised returning students to bring their own face masks, soap and hand sanitiser to school. The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit will continue to deliver personal protective equipment to schools to ensure that learning environments remain safe.

Non-graduating students will continue with online learning until further notice.

The news comes after primary and secondary schools reopened on 1st June for examination classes, amidst criticism from the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia, which found that three quarters of rural schools were not ready to reopen safely.