In Zambia, a cholera outbreak has led to calls for Government action to help students recover lost learning time following the delayed opening of schools.
A cholera outbreak in Zambia since September 2017 has delayed the re-opening of closed schools, leading to concern about lost learning time for students.
“All learning institutions that have been closed should be given recovery time to ensure that students do not lag behind in studies,” said Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) General Secretary Newman Bubala. “The number of holiday days can even be reduced to guarantee that these lost school days are recovered for positive results.”
Solution urgently needed
Relevant stakeholders must find a solution to recover the lost learning time, he said. The “only answer” was to build more space for learners, “a long-term programme which the Government should undertake,” Bubala added.
Another solution is the recruitment of more teachers, he said, calling for more investment in the education sector.