Health authorities provide guidelines for teachers, students and parents

Schools will not be opened before June 15 More than 300 educational hours lost due to COVID-19

The Health Ministry had provided guidelines for the Education Ministry to reopen schools after the prolonged closure had resulted in the loss of more than 300 educational hours.

Accordingly teams from the Education Ministry backed by health authorities and zonal education officers will visit the schools next week to ensure the guidelines are being implemented.

Setting up facilities to wash hands outside the gate, inside the premises and in play areas, ensuring that social distance facilities could be maintained, making special arrangements to allow children to enter and exit the school are among the arrangements that will be inspected.

Under the guidelines, there is a proposal to have carpets in classrooms as the children are expected to keep their shoes outside, and facilities to check body temperature should also be made available.

A decision regarding the reopening of schools will be taken after the inspections are carried out in roughly 10,000 schools. They will await further instructions from the Health Ministry on the implementation of the guidelines before reopening the schools. However, the reopening of schools will not take place before June 15, Education Ministry sources said.

One of the proposals was to begin classes for Grades Five, 11 and 13 as they are preparing for public examinations. The other classes will begin subsequently, and the primary grades will be the last grades to have classes.

The Education Ministry will also issue guidelines to be followed by parents. These include the transportation of children and the precautions which need to be taken.