The provincial administration has maintained that it will not allow schools with poor hygiene standards in Eastern Province to start operating.
Provincial Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo further says that he has no apologies to make over his decision not to allow dirty schools to open.
Speaking on a live radio programme dubbed “The Voice” on Breeze FM this morning, Mr. Kasolo says that the tough decision was made to protect school children from cholera.
He stated that he has charged some of the school managers, who allowed their poor toilet facilities to worsen to unacceptable standards.
And Mr. Kasolo says that the cholera situation in the province is reasonably under control but still worrying because the number of cases is now getting close to 30.
He also explained that 70 percent of all inspections of schools and other institutions have had to be closed.
And speaking during the same programme, Provincial Education Standards Officer, Beatrice Botha says that schools that will delay to open have a number of options, which they can use to ensure that they catch up on the syllabus.
Ms. Botha says that this includes having extra lessons in the afternoon or evenings and evenings and having additional lessons over weekends.
She has urged school managers to use catch up strategies like academic clinics, where pupils are given full times lessons during holidays.