Teachers who bring together childen in groups within families for private coaching sessions have been warned by police, stressing that they are violating guidelines in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Following the government directives to close schools until September due to the virus, some parents made arrangements with teachers where children from different families are brought together in groups to take lessons. “People who are bringing teachers to their homes are violating the directives to prevent COVID-19. It is not allowed,” CP John Bosco Kabera, the spokesperson for Rwanda National Police, said in a tweet. He was responding to a tweet from one Sylvie Nsanga, who pointed out that it was difficult for teachers and their students to observe physical distancing during home-schooling, especially during grouped sessions. On a serous note, I want to ask the spokesperson how he going to manage the homeschooling social distancing. We are bringing teachers in our homes to teach our children not knowing where they have touched and we are doing homeschooling grouping in families, reads one of her series of tweets. In his esponse, the Police spokesperson emphasized that teachers were not allowed to find students in their homes. He urged parents to adopt e-learning practices or following lessons that are being broadcast of public radio and television. Many parents who came to comment emphasised the need to adhere to the measures, with many saying that academic excellence should not take precedence over protecting children from the global pandemic. Schools were suspended in March in a move to stop the spread of COVID-19 and are scheduled to resume in September 2020. To keep their children engaged with schoolwork, some parents resorted to hiring private teachers who teach their children from their homes. This, health experts say, puts people at risk of containing the virus as most teachers move to different places, without necessarily observing prevention measures. “Coaching in a sense where a teacher will bring together a few students to teach them is against the directives on social distancing that is in place, and so is prohibited at the moment,” Gaspard Twagirayezu, State Minister for Primary and Secondary at the Ministry of Education, said. Irenee Ndayambaje, the Director-General of the Rwanda Education Board (REB) encourages students to study using the available online platforms, saying that the online learning material is available for free for those who have access to the internet. “The systems are interactive since there are tutors to help students and other users. The lessons on YouTube will not require internet charges after partnering with Telecom companies to finance the project,” Ndayambaje added. For the students who are unable to access the e-learning platforms, the option is to follow the lessons through radio and television.
