Schools will only be reopened after ensuring the safety of students.

Education Minister Aishath Ali emphasized this during an interview on RaajjeTV’s Covid-19 coverage on Saturday night.

She said that their biggest priority is the wellbeing of students.

Noting that parents’ concerns are always welcome and heard, the minister stressed that a prolonged closure of schools will see a negative impact. Aishath added that research conducted in various nations prove this.

Furthermore, the minister said that both students and parents require psychosocial support, and that the government aims to reopen schools after looking into all this.

Noting that schools are not just for learning, Aishath said that it’s a place where students acquire a number of skills. Hence, she said that parents want to send students to schools, but only after ensuring that the places are safe for their children.

The education minister also stressed that there are special plans to make sure that schools are safe for students, and that they will only be reopened after the Covid-19 taskforce gives the greenlight to do so.

While schools have been closed since March, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said that schools will be reopened after the first term holidays at the earliest. As per the academic calendar 2020, the first term holiday is from May 31 to June 11. While June 11 is a Thursday, the second term is to start on June 14 after the weekend.