Why reopening schools today in Ebola-hit Guinea isn't just about education

In the early months of the Ebola crisis, schools and other public meeting places were considered a danger zone for transmission. Now, they could be a key front in the fight against the disease. The Guinean minister of health announced Friday that schools will reopen today, only days after a World Health Organization report stated that new Ebola cases were at their lowest in the country since August. But is it tempting fate to open schools when new infections in the last 21 days reportedly number in the hundreds, and while Ebola-related violence reflects fear of the disease? According to experts, getting kids back to school is a crucial step as the crisis winds down, and not just for the sake of education. “What we’re doing is working with [the U.S. Agency for International Development] to focus on training the teachers in how to identify and how to deal with potential cases,” said Rabih Torbay, senior vice president for international operations at the International Medical Corps, during a recent U.S. House Africa subcommittee meeting. “[We’re training them on] how to identify the symptoms, isolate and make sure they are referred to an Ebola treatment unit.” Schools are an ideal environment — no longer for the disease to spread but for the spread of good health practices, Torbay explained. “It’s also working with the students,” he said, “making sure they’re practicing proper hygiene, proper hand-washing, making sure those practices are in place.” UNICEF, too, will take advantage of the return to routine to begin strengthening the community’s knowledge of the disease. “Education can contribute to stopping the spread of the Ebola virus,” Patrick Moser, a spokesperson for UNICEF, told Devex, “Children [can] learn how they and their families can protect themselves from this scourge and share the prevention messages with others.” He added: “Ultimately, the defeat of Ebola will be achieved with communities themselves understanding [Ebola] and acting accordingly.” Officials from Liberia — where WHO reported only 48 Ebola cases in the last 21 days — announced earlier this month that schools will reopen in February. Sierra Leone has yet to announce a date for the same purpose. The hardest-hit country, Sierra Leone has lost 2,538 people in the Ebola outbreak, 769 of them in the last 21 days. Jeff Tyson contributed reporting. It is dangerous to reopen schools in Guinea while new cases of Ebola are still being reported in the country? Read more international development news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive the latest from the world’s leading donors and decision-makers — emailed to you FREE every business day.