The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has announced that schools will close for the second term on 26 July to allow for the holding of harmonised elections slated for 30 July.
The term was initially scheduled to end on 9 August.
In a statement dated 12 June, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango, said the opening of schools for the third term had also been brought forward to 4 September to compensate for the lost time.
The schools third term was initially scheduled to start on 11 September.
Dr Utete-Masango encouraged schools to put in place programmes that ensure learners are not prejudiced.
“The opening of schools in the third term has been brought forward as a measure to compensate for the early closure of the term two.
“In addition, schools should put programmes in place in order to ensure that no learner is disadvantaged,” she said.
The early closure of schools is meant to enable teachers to participate in the national exercise as a number of them would be polling officers.
Most polling stations will also be located at schools, a situation that would disrupt learning, if learners were allowed to be in school during the voting exercise.
