LILONGWE, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Schools reopened in Malawi Monday under strict COVID-19 preventive measures, about five months after the government closed the schools in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
President Lazarus Chakwera ordered that examination classes such as Standard 8 in primary school and Form 4 in secondary school should reopen first together with colleges and universities where students were about to write exams.
Following the president's order, Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Agnes Nyalonje, announced late August that the exam classes would reopen on Sept. 7 while the rest would reopen later in the months of September and October under close monitoring of the COVID-19 trends.
"Apart from the primary and secondary school examination classes other institutions that will open on Monday, September 7, are initial primary teacher education, final year students at colleges and universities and examination classes for all schools that offer international curriculum," the minister had said then in her statement.
The local media across the country reported that classes commenced with every learner in class and teachers wearing face masks and maintaining social distance.
COVID-19 prevalence in Malawi is generally decreasing with only 3 new cases recorded Sunday, bringing the total number of recorded cases to 5,614.
The death toll remained at 175 on Sunday while 3,551 recoveries had been recorded since the pandemic hit the Sub-Saharan country.
