The following are extracts from Education Minister St. Clair Prince’s response during the Thursday 13th August sitting of Parliament, to questions relating to conditions under which teachers and students are expected to return to for the new school year:
* Temperature checks (of all students) to be done by teachers at the start of each school day; all schools are provided with non-touch thermometers;
* Students encouraged to wear face shields and masks while travelling on public transportation;
* Students advised to wear masks while in public during school hours;
* Hygiene and hand washing protocols to be adhered to on all school compounds; hand washing stations and hand sanitizers are to be placed in appropriate areas; all schools will be provided with the necessary cleaning supplies, hand sanitising liquids, soaps and other resources to maintain health and safety;
* Extra cleaning staff to be employed for the new academic year to ensure that all schools have adequate personnel to share the cleaning responsibilities.
The new academic year begins on August 31 and the first term runs until December 11. The second term opens on January 4, 2021 and will close on March 26, 2021. The third term commences on April 13, 2021 and is scheduled to run until July 2, 2021.
These dates are subject to change as per the conditions regrading COVCID-19 at any given time.
Schools were officially closed here on March 20, 2020, because of the threat posed by the novel coronavirus and the resulting COVID-19 disease.