Different secondary schools have stepped up Covid measures at a time the country is seeing a sharp spike in new confirmed infections. The surge in new coronavirus cases has come at a particularly critical time for schools, with most now conducting end-of-term examinations, while candidate students are either doing national exams (TVET) or preparing for them. On Wednesday, June 23, Rwanda recorded the highest number of new infections in a single day since the virus was first reported in the country in March last year, registering 964 new confirmed cases. This was the third straight day the country was registering a fresh record high for new confirmed infections. Amid what is increasingly shaping up as the third wave of coronavirus, many public and private schools have moved to roll out new measures or step up vigilance in the implementation of existing guidelines. Martin Masabo, the headteacher at Lycee de Kigali, said that “We are leaving nothing to chance because we need to keep our community safe, especially considering that we are in exams season.” He said that, besides enforcing existing measures, they are now closing school 30 minutes earlier – at 4 p.m – to ensure that day-scholars get home ahead of curfew hours, which start at 7 p.m. At APACOPE, students leave school at 3 p.m, according to Emmanuel Rutayisire, the disciplinary master. That’s an hour earlier than usual. “We are not allowing students to linger around, they leave immediately,” he told The New Times. Aimable Murangwa, the assistant director of S.O.S technical secondary school, told this publication that they have enlisted youth volunteers to help them enforce Covid-19 guidelines. “Most of our students are boarding,” he said. “This makes it hard to monitor compliance.” He urged students to keep an eye on each other with a view to ensuring they all observe safety guidelines. Murangwa said they are also keen on properly masking up, washing hands, sanitising school materials, as well as social distancing. Monica Tumukunde, the headmistress at ES. Kanombe, told The New Times that while they are concerned about the recent spike in cases in the country, they are keeping it basic in the fight against the virus. “Like other youths, students need to always be reminded of Covid prevention guidelines, constantly,” she said. “It’s our daily routine and it’s working.” Meanwhile, The New Times has learnt that some schools are looking to complete exams earlier than initially planned and send students back home ahead of schedule.
