More pupils test positive for COVID-19 at Our Lady of Sorrows

Mbabane: Outbreak inside the school

Those were the words shared by a devastated parent of Our Lady of Sorrows High School, in an interview with the Independent News.

The parent who preferred not to be mentioned lamented that there was a high increase of cases in the school and the school authorities are doing nothing about the situation.

“It is very bad here, a lot of children have tested positive to COVID-19 and the school is doing nothing about it.”

“Earlier in the week a child tested positive, and on Friday last week about 10 cases have been confirmed in the school and nothing is being done, the school has not closed for fumigation, it is business as usual yet children continue to contract the virus.”

Efforts to contact the school administration proved unsuccessful by the time of compiling this report as phones rang unanswered.

Meanwhile, this happens at a time when the country is experiencing the third wave of COVID-19 and cases are still high.

On Friday the Times of Eswatini reported that 15.3 percent of the COVID-19 cases recorded in the last two weeks are for school-going children.

The Swaziland National Association of Teachers SNAT has earlier noted that the infection rate of pupils was very high in the country, hence the organization had pleaded with the government and the ministry of education to consider closing schools. On Thursday, SNAT publishes a summary of a meeting they had with the ministry of education where they voiced their concerns on the rising of COVID-19 cases at schools.

Reached for comment SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini lamented that it was so unfortunate that things continue to happen in a manner that is not supposed to. “According to standard procedures, once a COVID-19 case is discovered, the school must temporally close for fumigation, unfortunately, that is not happening for now in many schools.”

Dlamini pleaded with headteachers that they do not have to be too rigid when dealing with COVID-19 cases. He stated that in a recent meeting that SNAT had with the Ministry of Education, the Principal Secretary promised to meet with headteachers to address some of the issues.

Dlamini also stated that they were looking forward to meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister to address the issue and some other issues affecting teachers, with the hope that government will swiftly address the situation.