Students to Attend School in the New Academic Year

 
When the pandemic hit, protective measures against school children were one of the first to be implemented nationwide. Education switched to online platforms and both students and teachers adapted to studying from home in a matter of weeks so to not interrupt the ongoing sessions. However, islands where the situation was under control continued physical classes with HPA issued safety measures in place.  

As we near the beginning of a new academic year, the government has announced the resumption of school year with commencement of physical classes. Academic year of 2021 is set to begin on August 10.  

While it has been announced that only those individuals (who are eligible) who have completed vaccination wil be allowed to enter schools, the Ministry has imposed safety guidelines such as physical distancing, hand sanitizing, and wearing masks as a regular practice to be observed during school hours. Schools must keep classroom windows open for proper air circulation at all times and allocate only set number of students to remain in class at a given time.  

Since a lot of people have been travelling to and from the islands during the recent holidays that past, the Education Ministry has informed that those returning within the month of August are to obtain a negative PCR test result before going back to school. This is applicable for both students and teachers. The test must be done within 5-7 days from returning. 

School session durations have been set for regular classes but extra-curricular activities will resume later, as per the ministry.