Recently the Department of Education has said schools will reopen as per the scheduled date in April. Parents have protested as April and May are very hot months and poor infrastructure in schools is another matter of concern. I wonder if the DOE has sent its staff to oversee the conditions of these schools during these months. The maintenance grants paid to them are peanuts as many of them seek to raise funds from donors to upgrade their buildings which the government has called illegal. What assurance is given to the students that there will be a cool comfortable seating in those fanless classrooms? What about the PWD water supply for drinking and toilet use? I wonder if the WRD has water reserved in its dams to last for the summer. What if the parents refuse to send their children to school will the education minister or DOE terminate their admission? Another notice in the newspapers is about pre-primary schools who are operating without registering at the DOE, why can't the department ask all the registered schools to put a board displaying the registration number of the department so that the parents are aware that such schools are operating without DOE consent?
