brand logo

Reopening schools amidst pandemic

29 Nov 2020

  • First week of third academic term hits roadblocks
  • Several schools in Kandy and Kalmunai closed due to Covid-19 scare
By Sarah Hannan The reopening of schools for the third academic term seems to have reached a premature end, with student and teacher turnout being quite low, whilst schools in the Western Province continue to remain closed. Due to a higher number of areas in the Western Province being under isolation, the Education Ministry took a call to keep the schools within the area closed. Meanwhile, schools in other provinces reopened on 23 November. However, parents were not keen on sending their kids to school, as the number of positive cases were increasing and more Covid-19-related deaths were being reported as well. Last Wednesday (25), the Central Province Governor instructed to close 45 schools within the Kandy City limits, after the number of Covid-19-positive cases within the municipal limits increased, and a Covid-19-positive person was found from the Kandy Municipal Market. The schools are to remain closed till 4 December to prevent the virus from spreading. Moreover, there was a report that two children from a house which was placed under quarantine had attended school in Ambalangoda as discovered by the healthcare services. The children had been asked to return home and while the school remained opened, not a single school child had come to school the next day. Similar incidents had been reported in the North and North Central Provinces as well, where schoolchildren from homes in isolated zones/areas under quarantine had attended school. By Thursday (26), the Eastern Province Governor too announced that all schools in the Kalmunai Zonal Education area were to be closed for a period of one week or more, and the school reopening date was to be communicated later.

Online lessons for WP schools

The Sunday Morning spoke to R. Hisham, a parent of a grade one student from a school in the greater Colombo area, to understand how school lessons/activities are conducted. Speaking about how the lessons were disbursed for the third term, the parent said that all the activities and lessons that were conducted in the first and second terms were now being revised. “The teacher sends the activities in images, and then she shares a voice recording where she gives the instructions to the child. The teacher sends these assignments on Tuesday and then we have to revert with the completed activities by the next Tuesday,” the parent explained. “We have been asked not to pressurise the child and since they are in grade one, they do not have strict deadlines as such to complete the activities,” the parent noted. This term, the teachers had also shared an activity sheet that had been prepared by the Zonal Education Office that was in PDF format. These activity sheets are to be printed, completed by the children, filed, and be handed over to the class teacher when school commences.

GCE O/L students under pressure

Unfortunately, students who are preparing for the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination of 2019 that is to be held in January 2021, are in a difficult place, with subject teachers in some cases not conducting lessons during the school time and scheduling the lessons according to their convenience. A student in grade 11, who is also attending a school in the greater Colombo area, noted that lessons commence from as early as 6 a.m. and can go on till about 11 p.m. “We are doing revisions but it is quite daunting to be in front of the computer from 6 a.m. till 11 p.m., with small breaks in between. I am quite stressed out at this point and not able to stay focused during the Zoom lessons throughout the day.” The student’s parent, L. Perera, meanwhile revealed that some teachers are now trying to make money by selling their notes and mock examination papers. “As it is, we are paying for a data connection, and had to purchase a suitable device so the child could follow the online lessons. We also have enrolled them in tuition classes for which we are again paying a separate fee; to top it off, the subject teacher is also trying to make money off the students, disregarding that we are already in a difficult place,” Perera explained. “I am more worried about my child’s mental wellbeing rather than her passing this examination now. We are already experiencing much uncertainty, and I do not want to see my child getting depressed because she cannot cope with the mounting pressure, as the examination dates close in,” Perera reiterated.

Right to education cannot be deprived

Ministry of Education Secretary Professor Kapila Perera stated: “In this context, data on curriculum coverage is being obtained from children and teachers who are preparing to sit for the GCE O/L examination in January 2021. This entire week will be dedicated to gathering that information and assessing the possibilities of holding the exams on 18 January 2021.” There are about 350,000 students appearing for the GCE O/L examination for the first time. “Out of 184 days of face-to-face study this year, only 87 days were completed. We have also taken steps to consider how many of those units are covered remotely. There are 54 subjects in the GCE O/L examination. Necessary decisions will be taken in the future considering the number of units required to perform all 54 subjects,” Prof. Perera elaborated. Minister of Education Professor G.L. Peiris said the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that it will take nearly two years to eliminate Covid-19 completely and under such circumstances, it is not practical to deprive children of their right to education any further. Therefore, a decision was taken to open the schools while facing the present challenge on behalf of the Government.   “In some provinces, the parents had hesitated to send their children to the schools. It is natural. Although the restricted police areas are open, the people do not come out at once. These conditions cannot be changed instantly. The attendance of the teachers was 85%. That must be appreciated. “We believe that gradually, this situation will reach normalcy. As a government, we have approached maintaining school education while ensuring the health protection of the children.” Prof. Peiris also noted that the zonal education offices are also being given the authority to make decisions on reopening schools, once the isolation is lifted.

Guidelines adequate

Health Services Deputy Director General Dr. Susie Perera, responding to a query on whether the health guidelines for schools during this pandemic were adequate, stated: “We do not want to see Covid-19 clusters being created in schools. The chances of that happening are very slim, because at this time, we can clearly see that the guidelines that were issued in May are being followed. We can be satisfied with the preparations in the field of education.” Dr. Perera also noted that every school has now appointed a health promotion committee that is in charge of supervising whether the guidelines are followed and the necessary facilities are in place. She added: “It should be emphasised that everyone has shared responsibilities. It is very unfortunate if a child is sent to school from a quarantined home. Parents have a great responsibility not to send a child to school in that context.” Dr. Perera also explained that children fainting in school is very common among students, adding that it would be wrong to assume a child has contracted Covid-19 just because they have fainted. “The education sector of this country should adapt to the new situation. The relevant health guidelines are very well implemented and it is the schools’ as well as the parents’ responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all the children,” Dr. Perera concluded.

Covering GCE O/L syllabus  

The Ministry of Education has taken steps to inquire from the teachers in charge of the relevant subjects about the extent to which the syllabi of the students facing the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination have been covered. Accordingly, the teachers in charge of teaching grade 11 subject/s in all the schools in the country should visit https://info.moe.gov.lk/ and provide the relevant information. If visiting the website proves difficult for a teacher, they can provide the relevant information by sending an e-mail to grade11@moe.gov.lk with their name, NIC number, school, province, and telephone number. This information should be provided within a week from 23 November 2020 and teachers will be identified as per their national identity card (NIC) number, which will have to be entered. It is hoped that the teachers in charge of the subjects will include the correct information. Meanwhile, the process will be regulated by the Secretary of Education Professor Kapila Perera and all provincial, zonal, and divisional directors of education and principals have been advised about the same.


More News..