Covid-19 lockdown ease plan: schools, universities opened on Wednesday

Schools, universities and educational institutions across the Maldives have opened gates for sessions on Wednesday, after having been closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, for months.

A lockdown was declared across the Greater Malé Region on April 15 following the detection of a Covid-19 community transmission and over a month later, Maldives began implementing the lockdown ease plan on May 29, in phases.

The authorities initiated the third phase of the ease plan on Wednesday and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has publicized guidelines to be followed in order to adapt to the new normal.

As such, guidelines for the education sector include opening schools for key stage four and five, which is grades 9 – 12 in islands with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 cases.

Operational procedures will be decided by the Ministry of Education and school management.

Students of these grades are required to attend schools and participate in online google and teleclasses alike. Sessions will be conducted for a maximum of four hours, each and students are required to attend school four days a week.

Students from foundation stage to key stage three, which is pre-school and eighth grade, are not required to attend school. However, they are required to join online google classes and teleclasses.

Wearing face masks inside school premises has been made mandatory and temperature screening has also been established across school gates.

Schools are required to enforce social distancing of three-feet, clean class rooms on a daily basis, disinfect classes between session, arrange for hand-washing facilities and arrange sanitizers for students.

Further, the guidelines note that assemblies and other extra-curricular activities will not be conducted until further notice.

In islands without suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases, schools will be open for key stages one to five, which is grades 1 - 12.

Classrooms are also to be disinfected and deep-cleaned over the weekends.

Further, the Ministry of Higher Education will be announcing plans to reopen institutions regarding Higher Education. Teachers, students and staff are required to adhere to HPA guidelines should they require to attend the institutions.

Earlier, the Ministry of Education assured that essential supplies including disinfectants, sanitizers and hand washing equipment have been disbursed to schools as part of the preparations to reopen them.

The ministry forwarded a guideline to be followed once schools open to the new normal, to all schools.

Schools have been reopened under the three-year education response plan. The plan to open up schools was formed in collaboration with UNICEF and has been divided into five components; safe operations, education and learning, proceeding without interruption, reaching out to vulnerable students and resilience building.