Angolan teachers propose resuming classes in September "but taking into account the evolution of the pandemic in the country".
According to the general secretary of Sinprof, Admar Jinguma, the position of the teachers stems from visits to schools in the country, "where a lack of biosecurity conditions for students, teachers and administrative staff was verified".
"By the way, it was clear from the beginning that these conditions would not be created, because it would not be possible in 45 days for the Ministry of Education to create conditions that the executive has never been able to create in all this time", said this Monday the trade union leader, in statements to Lusa.
For the union leader, the conditions the country is living under, imposed by covid-19, "just came to unveil the veil for the kind of schools" that the country has.
"I'm not talking about the education system itself, but the kind of schools we have," he said.
Regarding the guarantee of water to sanitize pupils and other actors in the sector, Admar Jinguma said that in the country there are "few schools with running water" and in those that have, "the water doesn't flow very often".
"Therefore, these conditions would hardly be created and it is good that the provincial governors were persistent in saying that they did not have the resources for the creation of the necessary conditions for the return to classes", he noted.
Classes in general and university education in Angola were suspended in March before the President, João Lourenço, declared a state of emergency, which ran from 27 March to 25 May.
Angola, which has been living in a state of public calamity since May 26, has 353 positive cases of covid-19, 226 active, 108 recovered and 19 dead.
More than 50 positive cases in Angola, mainly in Luanda, have an "unidentified epidemiological link".
The decree that determines the situation of public calamity foresees the resumption of activity in higher education and in the second cycle of secondary education from 13 July, although "depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation".
Admar Jinguma also said that Sinprof is not against returning to school, but, he noted, it is important that the executive create all the safety conditions.
"With unknown cases we are practically with the community circulation of the virus, and with that the schools could become a means of rapid spread of the disease", he warned.
Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta admitted on Sunday that some of the measures to prevent the disease from spreading were backed down, saying that the authorities could delay the resumption of classes.
