Malawians have reacted angrily to the decision by the Presidential Task Force on Cholera to suspend the reopening of primary and secondary schools in Blantyre and Lilongwe cities due to rise in cases of Cholera.
According to a statement signed by co-chairpersons of the taskforce, Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma and Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, the schools in the two districts will not open on January 3 as scheduled and will be delayed for not less than two weeks.
Reacting to the announcement, some parents have condemned the late announcement by the Presidential Task Force; with others saying President Lazarus Chakwera was supposed to announce the decision yesterday in his national address.
But in an interview with Nation Online, an education activist Benedicto Kondowe said the government should have been more proactive.
“Cholera cases have been on the rise in the country, and it is not only Lilongwe and Blantyre which have been affected.
“So, you cannot suspend classes in Lilongwe and Blantyre only and let other districts, where cholera cases are also being reported, open schools. What about children from Blantyre and Lilongwe who learn in other districts?”
In Malawi, Cholera has killed 576 people since March and the country has over 450 active cases.
