The Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has indicated that the Ministry has strengthened its preparedness measures to minimise disruptions to teaching and learning caused by seasonal flooding, particularly in the northern and north-eastern regions.

She was responding to IPC MP Mathias Mbundu, who questioned the ministry on measures to prevent recurring school closures caused by seasonal flooding.

Dr Steenkamp emphasised that the safety of learners, teachers and support staff remains non-negotiable, saying no school should operate where conditions pose a risk to human life.

As part of infrastructure protection measures, the Ministry has taken over an embankment project initially initiated by the Office of the Prime Minister for three flood-affected schools in the Zambezi Region.

On continuity of learning, Dr Steenkamp said regional directorates are expected to develop recovery arrangements to compensate for lost instructional time.

“Where schooling is interrupted, all our regional directorates and officers are expected to develop appropriate recovery arrangements to compensate for the loss of instructional time. These may include extended teaching hours, Saturday classes, where applicable, and structured catch-up programmes, taking into account the circumstances of affected learners and schools.”

On long-term interventions, Dr Steenkamp explained that the Ministry is working with the Disaster Risk Management, regional councils and other agencies to align education preparedness with the National Disaster Risk Management Framework.