Covid-19 hits Anna Regina Multilateral School

Jan 07, 2022 News

– MoE confirms one student test positive

Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Education has confirmed that a student of the Anna Regina Multilateral School in Region Two tested positive for Covid-19.
The ministry made the confirmation in clarifying that contrary to claims that multiple students were tested positive, it was only one.

Covid-19 hits Anna Regina Multilateral School

The ministry said too that the school has adequate space to accommodate all of its students. “Presently, the school has approximately 650 students attending classes daily. Since the reopening of the school, only one assembly session was held. When students enter the school, they enter their classrooms and remain there, only leaving to use the washroom or canteen during recess,” the ministry stated. Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson had reportedly made the claims about multiple students being tested positive.
Additionally, the ministry said all of the cleaners attached to the school have all of the necessary Personal Protective Equipment and cleaning detergents to ensure a clean environment. The school is sanitised in the morning and the afternoon. All through and washroom facilities are functional.
“Students are monitored regularly to avoid gathering and adequate masks are available for students. A supervisory visit conducted on January 5th, 2021 by Officers of the Department revealed that all students and teachers were engaged in the teaching-learning process,” the statement read. The Ministry of Education said too, that it accepts readily that these are challenging times for the education sector across the world and for the delivery of education to Guyana’s children.
The Guyana Teachers’ Union said some 65 teachers and 44 students have tested positive for COVID-19 and as such, it has called on the government to immediately shutdown all schools. The union said too that some 15 schools were forced to close already due to the worsening pandemic here.
Government on Monday reopened schools countrywide and has since hailed the move as critical given lack of educational engagement among students. However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) said positive cases have risen exponentially over these last three days in Guyana, especially with the reopening of schools for face-to-face engagement. “The Ministry of Education ignored their own (government) Gazette order for social distancing (6 feet apart) and large gatherings, which were recently issued for January 2022. Also, WHO’s advice to observe one (1) meter apart as acceptable social distance has been breached with two learners seated in a single bench about a meter long,” the GTU said.
According to the union, the most worrying is the number of schools that reported positive cases for teachers and students. “The numbers continue to climb in every education district in Guyana. The union’s datasheet shows that sixty-five (65) teachers, forty-four (44) learners have reportedly tested positive in two days of school. Also, fifteen schools were forced to close due to COVID 19 cases. However, some schools are operating despite reporting issues of COVID-19.”
As such, the GTU is demanding that all schools be closed immediately so that the Ministry of Health can conduct a proper assessment before advising on the way forward. We are aware of the challenges presented by online learning and that reopening schools for face-to-face is our preferred option, but let us be mindful that we need a healthy nation to progress. The rate at which persons are getting sick due to COVID-19 infections has to be addressed now. The only way to preserve the lives of our children, teachers, and their families is to suspend all face-to-face engagements in schools. We depend on the Ministry of Health to tell Guyanese the truth so that we can all work to preserve lives,” the release stated.

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