The challenge of COVID-19

Our campus has now been closed for a week due to the challenge we face together from the COVID-19 virus. There are many aspects of this challenge that are beyond our control, so let’s focus on what we can control which is maintaining a valuable distance learning experience for our students. Our school's key responsibility is to continue to serve the children who rely on us for their education. Our school's key message is that our campus may be closed but our school is still open.

Our school relies on the commitment of our staff who have worked to transition rapidly to distance learning. We rely on the support of our parents despite difficult and uncertain circumstances. We support the efforts of our students who are engaging with our distance learning programme during disruptions and relocations. We are especially sensitive to those students in years 11 and 13 who have seen final exams cancelled and are awaiting guidance from examining bodies. When we work together and support each other through the challenge posed by this virus, we will emerge stronger as a community and as a school.

The challenge of the virus is foremost a public health issue. With the closure of our campus, this challenge will now be resolved beyond the confines of our school. Here at school, we have been cooperating with our local health authority to support their efforts and keep school safe.

The next aspect of the challenge is educational. Our principals, coordinators and teachers are working to ensure that children continue to be educated during the closure. We simply do not know how long our campus will be closed. You may read about our distance learning initiatives elsewhere on this blog and I must say that these initiatives do depend on support from parents. We must all work together to ensure that students' education is not compromised.

Lastly, the disruption caused by COVID-19 is also an organizational and financial challenge. We must respond to a changing situation with uncertain outcomes. We will be working in conjunction with our board of governors to ensure that our school has the resources to reopen as soon as we can.

Our school is a historic institution that has served generations of children in Zambia. We have been here since 1963 and we will be here in 2063. Keep safe.