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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Association of Primary Heads (Naph) has given schools up to tomorrow to submit Covid-19 vaccination data for learners as it pushes for resumption of ball games.

Government lifted the temporary ban on schools’ sporting activities last week following a two-year hiatus that was part of measures to contain Covid-19.

Primary schools were granted authority to resume all sporting activities, while the condition for secondary schools to enjoy the same benefits is to have 70 percent of learners being vaccinated.

Secondary schools were given the greenlight to resume non-contact sports.

National Association of Secondary Heads (Nash) president Arthur Maphosa said communication has been sent to schools to submit Covid-19 vaccination data to their provinces, which they will forward to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to lobby for resumption of all sporting activities.

In a communication sent to schools, Maphosa warned schools against sending fraudulent vaccination records.

“The condition set for the complete removal for us is that our learners must attain 70 percent vaccination.

May I encourage our constituencies to encourage and arrange for our learners to be vaccinated without delay.

I am reliably informed that the facility is there if we approach our nearest health facility.

“Correct vaccination statistics should get to the Ministry early so that the principals lobby from an informed position.

These figures colleagues must not be cooked or abstract because the Ministry of Health and Child Care will also have a record from the same vaccination exercise.

We don’t want to embarrass our bid to have the ban completely lifted.

“Our learners desperately want the return of sport; we desperately want a return to sport.

The return depends on us.

Let me once again thank you for doing the honourable thing that will see the return of normalcy to our system and to our workplaces,” said Maphosa.

He said his Gwanda High School is close to having 100 percent vaccination and is confident that other schools have been encouraging learners to get vaccinated.

In the meantime, Maphosa said they are working on modalities to have athletics competitions so that they can assemble a lean squad to participate in the regional Confederation of Schools Sports Association of Southern Africa (Cossasa) games later this year.

– @ZililoR