Schools to reopen on September 6 – Education Ministry

…teachers should be vaccinated or produce weekly negative COVID-19 tests – MoE
…urges parents to get eligible children vaccinated

The Education Ministry has announced that schools will be reopened from September 6, 2021, when the new academic year begins and it is standing firm and putting measures in place to protect both students and teachers.

In a statement, the Ministry said that despite measures geared towards the continuity of learning, it is a fact that they are not enough nor as effective as face-to-face learning.
“Our students are suffering. Learning at home is not as effective as students sitting in a classroom with their teacher in front of them teaching a lesson. This is the reality. With this in mind along with the desire of the majority of parents, the Ministry of Education will be reopening schools on September 6, 2021,” it noted in the statement.
The statement reminded that the Education Ministry has committed to reopen school based on individual assessments according to space and circumstances. It advised that schools will be ready for reopening and parents along with teachers will be informed of the individualised reopening measures for the respective schools in the coming days.
The individualised plans are expected to be developed with input from teachers and the Parent-Teacher Associations of each school.
Explaining the reasoning behind its move to have schools reopened for the new school year, the Ministry said that it is a result of the feedback provided during answers on polls and surveys and consultations with stakeholders inclusive of teachers and parents.
It added that parents, particularly, have been consistent in their calls for the reopening of schools for all levels and teachers have been clear about the uncertainty of virtual engagements with students.
Schools in Guyana have been closed since March 2020 when the country began recording its first cases of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19). Due to the closure of schools globally, international studies and local experience revealed that students suffered tremendous learning loss. Some students have also dropped out of school and the situation is expected to worsen if school doors remain closed longer, according to the Ministry’s statement.
Since the closure of schools, the Ministry has embarked on a number of initiatives to ensure that students remain engaged. However, with disparities in the system, the outcome has been far from what would have been achieved by face-to-face learning.
Studies have also shown that the longer schools are closed, the greater our students will be affected.
The Education Ministry printed thousands of worksheets for each grade which corresponded with the curriculum and what each child should have been learning if they were in the classroom. The Guyana Learning Channel undertook the production of recorded lessons done by local teachers on the various topics outlined in the curriculum.
This content has been airing on the channel according to a timetabled schedule to ensure children across the grades are engaged. The videos were also uploaded to the GLC’s YouTube channel so that they can be streamed at any time.
The Ministry’s website has been zero-rated by the major internet providers so that parents and students do not have to pay or use their data when accessing all of the learning resources that are available on the platform.
To assist the Grade Six students to write this year’s National Grade Six Assessment, the Quiz Me Platform was developed to allow pupils to practice examination quality questions. Grade Six pupils also received study packages containing textbooks, notes and worksheets for each subject and a special television series dubbed the “NGSA Booster Programme” where a video was created for each and every topic in the consolidated curriculum, was aired.
“Our teachers also stepped up and worked to ensure they kept those students under their charge engaged in learning online as much as possible. We thank them,” the Ministry said.

Get vaccinated or produce negative tests
One of the measures the Ministry is putting in place is the requirement for teachers to either be vaccinated or produce negative weekly PCR tests at their own expense.
“We take this opportunity to urge those teachers who have not yet taken a vaccine, to use this period, before the reopening of school to visit a vaccination site and be administered one of the available COVID-19 vaccines. The Ministry of Health currently has the AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines available for the adult population…Teachers who do not wish to be administered any of the above-mentioned vaccines will be required to submit a negative PCR test once a week. This test is to be done at an approved private facility,” the Ministry said in a statement late Monday afternoon.
The Ministry said that teachers who fail to report for duty will be marked absent and the measures also applies to ancillary staffers including cleaners and administrative staff. It added that the new requirements will be reflected in the September Gazetted Order in relation to the COVID-19 protocols.
Any teacher who has questions on vaccines or any related question, the Ministry of Education has solicited the assistance of three doctors to provide responses and they can be reached on telephone numbers: 650-2289 (Dr Farah December), 650-2308 (Dr Oneka Scott) and 650-2312 (Dr Ertenisa Hamilton). This is to provide teachers with an opportunity to speak with medical professionals and have their concerns addressed.
The Ministry also acknowledged the fact that thousands of its teachers have been vaccinated against the virus which is likely to reduce the risk of dying or experiencing severe complications of COVID-19.
The Ministry of Education will provide to all teachers face masks, face shields, sanitising agents (Environ) and spray bottles to assist in ensuring they are safe upon their return to the classroom.

Get your children vaccinated
With Guyana expected to receive the Pfizer vaccines today, the Ministry has reissued its call for parents to have their children inoculated against the deadly COVID-19 in order to facilitate the reopening of schools.
Important in the process to reopen schools is the vaccination programme for pupils 12 years and over.
On Monday, the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. In May of this year, the FDA had expanded the emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to children 12 years and over.
The shipment of Pfizer vaccines expected today is donated by the United States, and will be administered exclusively to children 12 years and over. Whilst vaccination of children will not be mandatory, the Ministry is urging parents to consider the benefits that this vaccine will provide to their children and consent to the vaccine being administered to their children.
Parental consent forms for this vaccine have been delivered to schools and can be downloaded from the Ministry’s website at: https://education.gov.gy/covid-vaccine.
Parents can also fill an e-form which can be submitted to indicate their consent. This can be accessed at: https://education.gov.gy/PfizerRegistration.
Also, if parents are unable to submit the physical copies, they can take a photograph of the completed form and submit it via WhatsApp to telephone number: 652-9144.
So far thousands of children have received their parents’ consent.
Parents who choose not to send their child to school on the days they are scheduled to attend will be enjoined with the responsibility of ensuring that child is continuously engaged at home and, to this end, will be able to access all of the Ministry’s materials on its website.