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Government has come up with very strict Covid-19 guidelines that schools have to implement when they re-open for the second term on July 28. It has banned all outdoor and indoor sporting activities, choral practices and physical contact between pupils as part of measures to contain the spread of the pandemic.

A classroom will accommodate not more than 35 pupils and they will be seated one metre apart according to the Standard Operating Guidelines sent to all primary and secondary schools recently.

Pupils will not be allowed in the playgrounds and are prohibited from sharing textbooks and other learning materials.

Government is encouraging hot sitting to accommodate all pupils and also ensure the limit on the number of pupils accommodated in a classroom is adhered to.

Under the new seating arrangement, there should be one pupil per desk or schools could adopt the desk and chair approach to meet this requirement.

Social distancing should also be practised in hostels and therefore the use of bunk beds is prohibited. “All sporting activities, including matches, choral practice, indoor games and festivals are prohibited.

The use of play centres, sporting equipment, gymnasium and sporting facilities is prohibited. Teachers at secondary school under the new arrangement are the ones that move from classroom to classroom while pupils stay in one classroom throughout the day.

Each school is required to have adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and a health coordinator trained by the Ministry of Health and Child Care before schools open. Each classroom should be equipped with a hand-washing facility, running water and soap. Ablution facilities should be cleaned and disinfected thrice a day.

Government has warned school authorities that failure to adhere to the “new normal” will attract punitive action. It said failure by the school head for any reason to observe the new guidelines is deemed an act of misconduct and will attract serious disciplinary action. Government has also mandated schools to come up with Covid-19 awareness programmes.

The transporters will also be required to ensure social distancing with a seating arrangement of one pupil per seat. We want to commend Government for coming up with strict Covid-19 guidelines for re-opening of schools but the big challenge is enforcing the regulations.

What quickly comes to mind is lack of resources to enforce some of the regulations. Many schools, especially in rural areas, are facing a serious shortage of furniture and textbooks making it impossible not to share.

Many schools are also facing a shortage of classrooms and many of them were already implementing hot sitting to accommodate the increased number of pupils.

Running water facilities, adequate PPE, disinfecting toilets and doing away with bunk beds all require money which some schools might not have. There is therefore a need for Government and its development partners to assist some of the schools to meet the “new normal” requirements.

It will be unfair to punish a school head who fails to implement some of the regulations due to lack of resources.