KINSHASA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- With only days to go before schools reopen across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), teachers and parents in Ebola-hit eastern provinces are voicing concerns over whether classrooms are ready to receive students safely.
Under the official school calendar, classes are due to resume nationwide on Sept. 1. But in areas hit by the Ebola outbreak, which has caused 5,713 confirmed cases and 2,744 deaths, the reopening is expected to vary according to local transmission risks.
The DRC Ministry of National Education has introduced a three-tier system -- green, orange and red -- based on the intensity of Ebola transmission. Some 2,890 schools are considered at high risk, according to authorities.
In green and orange zones, in-person classes will continue with corresponding preventive measures. In red zones, where transmission remains active, regular classroom teaching will be temporarily replaced by home-based learning materials and educational programs broadcast on radio and television.
However, an inter-union group representing teachers in Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, said that classes should not resume under current conditions, warning that a lack of adequate prevention measures could expose students, teachers and their families to infection.
"A school reopening organized without sufficient health guarantees could increase the exposure of students, teaching staff and, by extension, their families to the risk of infection," said Patrick Urunga, president of a local teachers' inter-union group in Bunia, the provincial capital.
Teachers are calling for stronger epidemic control measures, as well as adequate handwashing facilities, protective equipment and other preventive measures before students return.
At several schools visited by Xinhua reporters in Bunia, no major health arrangements were visibly in place before the scheduled reopening.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday that authorities decided to maintain the school reopening after discussions over a possible postponement, with preparations being accelerated in Ituri.
Yap Boum II, head of emergency preparedness and response at Africa CDC, said teachers were being trained on Ebola prevention, while infection prevention and control measures were being prepared for around 3,000 schools in the province.
Where access to water remains difficult, schools are expected to use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, while students will undergo temperature checks before entering classrooms, he said.
Authorities are also considering alternating classes in overcrowded schools, although Boum said discussions on the arrangement were still ongoing.
At Bunia's central market on Thursday, some families were buying school supplies while remaining uncertain over whether they would send their children back on Sept. 1.
Giselle Uchima, a mother of two, said she was worried about the risk of infection but also concerned that children could not remain out of school indefinitely.
"We cannot want the children to stay at home for a long time without studying, but at the same time, nobody wants to lose a child or have a child bring the disease home," she said.
Mugisa Sharite, a father of three in Bunia, said he planned to keep his children at home for an observation period before deciding whether to send them back to school.
Similar uncertainty is being felt in North Kivu Province. The Butembo municipal government said Thursday that the city was still awaiting instructions from the central government on whether school activities would resume.
Butembo and nearby Beni are among cities hit hard by the outbreak in North Kivu, where community resistance and attacks targeting health workers have also complicated response efforts.
Children have been particularly affected by the epidemic. The United Nations Children's Fund said last week that children accounted for about 21 percent of confirmed cases but nearly one-third of reported deaths since the outbreak was declared.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, has spread to six provinces -- Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele and Tshopo. There is currently no licensed vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, although clinical trials are underway.
