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Reopening schools: O/L, A/L classes to resume in November

31 Oct 2021

  • Decision-making powers to regional health, education officials considered
By Sarah Hannan The Ministry of Education gave the green light to resume physical classes for GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) and Advanced Level (A/L) grades (10-13) from 8 November. Issuing a press release, the Ministry stated that the Government also planned to resume classes for grades six to nine as soon as the health authorities approved the request. Authorities were also discussing permitting regional directors of health as well as provincial and zonal directors of education to decide which grades should attend schools daily. Ministry of Education Secretary Prof. Kapila Perera told The Sunday Morning: “The Ministry will continue to reopen schools in stages and in the next stage, classes would resume for GCE O/L and A/L students, while the rest of the grades will resume classes only in the fourth stage. Although we have received clearance from the Director General of Health Services to reopen schools in stage three, we are yet to decide on the dates to bring these students to schools. We can hopefully announce the correct dates after our meeting on Monday (1 November).” Meanwhile, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella also confirmed that schools would be reopened in stages with A/L and O/L students being brought into schools in the next stage, while the remaining grades would resume classes in the final stage. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Rambukwella said: “The health and education officials are discussing the possibility of allowing regional directors of health and provincial and zonal directors of education to decide which grades should attend school daily and which grades should attend school on alternating days. When the schools reopen in stage three, and depending on the feedback we would receive from health authorities/administrators, the Ministry of Health might decide to decentralise decision-making on some school activities, allowing flexibility for the schools to deal with the volume of children.”


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