The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has indicated that teachers medically proven to be vulnerable person during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be authorised to stay at home provided they apply for sick leave.
The ministry on Monday in a circular directed all school staff members to return to school on Wednesday on a full-time basis, after face-to-face learning and teaching were suspended from 17 June to 30 July due to increasing cases of COVID-19.
The circular, however, did not address the return to work of persons with comorbidities, which resulted in some teachers seeking direction from the ministry as the principals of their schools refused them permission to stay at home.
In an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, the ministry’s chief public relations officer Sem Shino explained that it would be impractical for teachers to work from home. However, in a case where a person is medically proven vulnerable due to comorbidities and they are considered high risk, they can stay away from work after a sick leave submission with authentic medical proof from a doctor.
He indicated that schools have the responsibility to arrange for relief teachers to temporarily replace those who cannot return to school, noting that it is important for schools to ensure that absent teachers are replaced to prevent learners from missing out on school work.
“Though the circular did not make provision for vulnerable persons, it is common practice within the ministry for teachers to apply for leave with the provision of a medical certificate,” Shino noted.
Equally, he noted that learners who are unable to attend school due to comorbidities are allowed to stay at home, stressing that it is however the responsibility of parents to arrange with the school for the distribution of educational materials and ensure that children are not left out.
Shino further noted that the ministry is busy compiling a database on COVID-19 affected teachers and learners through the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
“We don’t have compiled statistics on how many teachers and learners have tested positive for COVID-19, but we are busy with it,” he noted.
Schools countrywide started with face-to-face lessons on Wednesday.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
