Resume regular classes with safety protocols

THE EDITOR, Madam: CURRENTLY, COVID-19 may seem insuperable, but if the Government, parents, educators and the private sector come together, then we can have all the students back in the classroom as they were before the pandemic struck. I have some recommendations for the safe reopening of our schools:

1. All members of the school community should be required to wear a mask. Schools should have masks available for students and staff members who don’t.

2. Each classroom should have an automatic hand sanitiser dispenser. These can be donated to the schools by the private sector.

3. Students should be encouraged to take their lunches and snacks to schools as much as possible, so as to avoid crowded cafeterias and long queues. Schools should make more areas accessible for students to have their lunches – like corridors, gazebos and auditoriums.

4. Schools could organise a lunch order-and-collection system, where students order their lunches via a teacher in the morning and then have the lunches delivered to their classrooms. This, too, should help to reduced crowded cafeterias.

5. Schools should refrain from having large assemblies, like devotions. Instead of the regular singing and clapping during devotion, schools could emphasise meditation, reading and journaling.

6. Although the 5 Es teaching model is à la mode in Jamaica, teachers will have to avoid giving students group and peer activities.

7. Schools should schedule a five- to 10-minute break after each class. If a class previously lasted one hour, it can now last 50 minutes. That way, students and teachers will have time to go outside to get fresh air and to wash and sanitise their hands.

8. When possible, classes must be held outside. This would mean that schools would need to invest in tents and tarpaulins, and use acceptable outdoor facilities as makeshift classrooms.

9. Parents should ensure their children have adequate stationery. This will reduce lending and borrowing. Schools should have these resources to give to less fortunate students.

We cannot afford to continue to have our students out of school or reduce contact time indefinitely. Come September morning, all students across the island should be back in schools.