Making tough calls
SO 60 per cent of students returned to school on Monday! That’s the word from Education Minister Premila Kumar. This, she said, had been captured through reports from heads of schools.
“So gradually the students are coming in and yesterday (Tuesday) most students went out to get themselves vaccinated,” Mrs Kumar said.
As a result of only 60 per cent of students being in school, social distancing in classrooms, she insisted, would not be an issue. Mrs Kumar said in regards to overcrowding, parents had other options if they did not wish to send their children to school.
“That’s the best we can do for now. We are also encouraging heads of schools too, if the classrooms are overcrowded, they can take the children into open spaces and teach but we are monitoring the situation.”
Education Ministry permanent secretary Dr Anjeela Jokhan said in classroom situations where physical distancing may not be possible, fans could be installed and doors and windows opened to prevent the spread of COVID-19. She made the comment in response to questions posed by Then India Sanmarga Ikya (TISI) Sangam national president Sadasivan Naicker on how social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols would be followed in schools with large class sizes.
As long as COVID-safe protocols were followed, teachers and children were safer in school than in the community, said United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) deputy representative Vathinee Jitjaturunt.
She said school was the best place for students to be as long as they followed masking, hand washing and physical distancing mandates. She said it was normal for parents to be worried and concerned.
“I know that some parents and children may be worried about the number of new cases of COVID and wonder whether this is the right time for their children to go to school,” she said. “It is normal to be worried and concerned and it’s important that parents, teachers and children are reassured that the school is safe.”
Teachers in Fiji, she said, were fully vaccinated and trained in the new COVID-safe protocols.
She said the latest evidence showed students did not appear to be a main driver of community transmission and school staff did not appear to be at a higher relative risk compared to the general population.
On the other side of the divide, Human rights activist Shamima Ali asked: “Why are we only listening to international institutions who are out of touch with our cultural context and our social norms – making very critical decisions like the reopening of schools.”
She highlighted that the elderly and people with compromised immune systems could be placed at serious risk of contracting COVID-19 from students returning from school.
As our children head back to school, and many parents and guardians contemplate their next move, we can’t help but be concerned by the rise in COVID-19 positive cases around the country, especially the sudden announcement by the Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong that the Omicron variant is in the community. There will be questions about how that happened and when!
Our challenge right now is to adhere to COVID-safe measures. There is no other way! But together we can make a difference! Let’s make those little decisions count!