Professional Teachers Union of Zambia (PROTUZ) Friday 5th June 2020 Press Statement on ‘Reopening of Examination Classes’ amid covid 19
PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS’ UNION OF ZAMBIA
STATEMENT ON REOPENING OF EXAMINATION CLASES DURING COVID 19
(5TH JUNE 2020, Lusaka)
THE Professional Teachers Union of Zambia (PROTUZ) would like to express sincere appreciation and gratitude to teacher members for positively responding to the call on reopening of examination classes during this period of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic which the country and the world is grappling with even without proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent them from catching the virus.
Such a patriotic and brave response cannot go without commendation.
We have noticed with great concern the slow pace at which government is distributing PPEs to schools for use by both teachers and pupils.
We would like to commend head teachers for their efforts in ensuring that their schools meet the required minimums to have them opened for examination classes.
We therefore wish to take this opportunity to appeal to government to expedite the distribution process of PPEs as the union continues supplementing its efforts by providing reusable face masks to teacher members.
It should be noted that COVID 19 is not only a health issue but also an economic and social one. Since its inception, we have seen business houses closed and people being advised to observe social distance.
No doubt, this pandemic will leave a negative impact on the socio-economic sphere of teachers and the nation at large.
It is against this background that the union wishes to send a timely advice to its members to not only look at COVID 19 in a negative lens but also see it as an opportunity (s) for economic diversification.
We expect our teacher members to take a leading role in developing entrepreur skills and live a better life in the post COVID 19 period.
Finally, we encourage our teacher members especially those from the departments of Industrial Arts and Home Economics to venture into the manufacturing of Personal Protective Equipment and supply to various institutions and individuals of course at a fee.
This will ultimately help reduce the anticipated economic shocks in the post COVID 19 period.
Brian Mwila (0979618255)
Director Public Relations and International Affairs – PROTUZ
DATE: 5th June 2020
