The Ministry of Education says that there was a high turnout of teachers yesterday despite a call by the GTU for a day of isolation in the face of rising COVID-19 numbers.
In a press release, the Education Ministry said that an average of 74 per cent of teachers turned out at the 84 per cent of the schools from which the ministry has received data.
According to the MoE, it has been monitoring the situation with the schools. It said that it has given the necessary support and guidance to teachers, parents and the school administration. Further, it said, “today, the second week of the new school term began with 74% of our teachers in schools actively teaching despite calls to stay away from classes by observing an ‘Isolation Day’. This figure represents 84% of schools for which the Ministry has received data at this time”.
The ministry reopened schools for the nursery, primary and secondary levels for the term on January 3. There has been a surge of COVID-19 cases within the schools since the reopening and this has led several institutions, including Bishops’ High School to resort to online teaching. Efforts to get statistics about the schools that have been closed and the number of COVID-19 cases within the schools from the ministry were futile.
According to the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), 105 teachers tested positive during the five days that schools were reopened. As a result, 15 schools were forced to close. The GTU has since called for schools to be closed until the situation is assessed however, Presi-dent Irfaan Ali, along with the Ministries of Health and Education have indicated that the closure of schools is not happening. Ali on Friday said that schools will remain open and the Education Ministry has indicated that it is in agreement with the President. The Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, during yesterday’s COVID-19 update said that the decision for a schools closure has been left to the Education Ministry.
On Sunday, the Union’s President Mark Lyte, at a virtual press conference, urged both paying and non-paying members of the GTU to participate in an “Isolation Day”. This newspaper reported that Lyte said that the Union wrote to the ministry to have teachers teach virtually while the schools are closed to face-to-face engagement for fourteen days.
The Education Ministry has argued that the schools have been closed for 18 months and students have suffered a severe learning loss.
“We understand the difficult time we are living in and appreciate their continued and unwavering service. The Ministry of Education stands ready to provide any assistance schools may need to ensure they can remain open and continue to function effectively for the benefit of the children of Guyana,” the Ministry yesterday said.
