The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in Mozambique’s northern province of Nampula that it is supporting the government in rehabilitating water and sanitation systems as part of the process leading to the classes resuming amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a report by Radio Mozambique on Monday, the agency will join education authorities in the efforts to make sure those schools set to reopen constitute no health risk to children.
“One of UNICEF’s specialized sectors is in water and sanitation, so our priority will be working with different groups to ensure that the aspect of water and sanitation is secured both in the health and education sectors,” said Balsiamo Marcelino, the provincial coordinator of UNICEF.
UNICEF reinforced its position to guarantee that conditions are created for children to return to school in a safe environment while recognizing the need for children to enjoy their right to education.
“We have to recognize that this happens within a context where there are challenges for the system, challenges in infrastructures and it is on these challenges that all of us should be working in order to ensure that the process of resuming lessons is done in a safe environment,” said Marcelino.
By the end of this month, 171 schools teaching grade-12 students and 19 teacher-training institutes in the country are set to reopen first.
