VOA慢速英语--由于冠状病毒，非洲的学校难以重开

Many poor parents in African countries say their children will have to miss the beginning of school this year. Classes are returning after months of delay because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Mike Ssekaggo is headmaster of Wampeewo Ntakke Secondary School near Uganda's capital, Kampala. He has answered concerns from parents struggling to have their children in schools for the first time since March.

Many are worried over financial struggles caused by the coronavirus health crisis¹. They also are concerned about how to protect students in often crowded classrooms.

Ssekaggo told the Associated Press that only half of his 430 students had reported to class the day after he began admitting students for the new school term.

School officials worry some children might not return because their parents have not been working, he said.

In Uganda, officials have set requirements that schools must meet before they can admit students. Most of them could remain at home until as late as next year. Schools must have enough hand-washing areas and enough space in classrooms and living areas for social distancing.

While the health crisis has affected² education around the world, the crisis is more severe in Africa. Up to 80 percent of students do not have access to the internet and distance learning is out of reach for many.

Too many children already out of school

Countries south of the Sahara Desert already have the highest rates of children out of school anywhere in the world. Nearly 20 percent of children between ages six and 11 and more than 30 percent between ages 12 and 14 are not in school. That information comes from the United Nations culture and education agency.

The decision to reopen schools remains³ a problem, especially as the level of testing remains low.

Dr. Rashid Aman is Kenya's chief administrative⁴ secretary of health. He said, "One of the things that we have been discussing is how do we monitor the situation in schools where we have large numbers of students."

He added, "I think definitely we will require to be doing some level of testing in those populations to see whether there is transmission⁵ of asymptomatic cases."

As in Uganda, Kenya is implementing⁶ a phased reopening of schools. Students taking tests to move to upper grade school, high school and college reported in October. The rest will return in January, but there is widespread concern that schools were reopened too early as some have reported outbreaks.

Similar problems are reported in Zimbabwe. More than 100,000 public school teachers have been on strike since schools reopened. The teachers are demanding better pay. They also want protective equipment.

Raymond Majongwe is secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe. He warned parents against sending their children to school while teachers are on strike. He said, "Results of the disaster happening with unmonitored school children will be with us for a long time."

Officials in Uganda and Kenya are not testing students for the virus before they come to school. John Nkengasong is head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He told reporters that while his group is not monitoring schools, "we naturally expect there will be infections."

Words in This Story

access –n. a way of being able to get or use something

monitor –v. to watch or observe over a period of time in an effort to find something out

transmission –n. the process of something passing from person to person such as an infectious⁷ disease

asymptomatic –adj. having or showing no signs of disease while being infected

outbreak –n. the fast appearance and spread of a disease or of conflict

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

5 transmission   

n.播送，发射，传送，传递，传染

参考例句：

• When the transmission is good,foreign stations can be heard.在传送情况良好时，以收到外国电台。
• The letter was delayed in transmission.这封信在传递中被耽误了。

6 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

7 infectious   

adj.传染的，有传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
• What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊！