All schools in Namibia will be closed with effect from Monday 16 March 2020 following an order given by president Hage Geiongob that bans all gatherings.
The ban on gathering was made on Saturday after the health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula had announced Namibia’s first confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Although the couple who tested positive for COVID-19 are visiting Namibia from Romania, Geingonb banned gathering among other measures as a precautionary.
In a statement on Sunday, the acting education minister Martin Andjaba said the order to close schools was arrived at after the confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Andjaba said it was against this background that he was directing that i) all schools public and private will be closed with immediate effect from 16 March 2020 ii) that the College of the Arts, libraries, resource centres, the National Art Gallery of Namibia, National Literacy Programmes of Namibia suspend their activities.
He also said that schools should ensure that all pupils who stay in hostels have been returned home to their parents or guardians.
This means that the second term will now start on 14 April until 29 July 2020 for pupils and 14 April 2020 until 31 July for teachers.
The third term will start on 24 August until 4 December for pupils and 24 August until 9 December 2020 for teachers.
“Based on these amendments, crucial emphasis must be placed on the second term for teaching, learning and assessment to prepare learners for the second term examinations,” the acting minister said.
