The Bishops’ High School closes doors as Covid-19 hits institution

Jan 08, 2022 News

– classes to resume virtually from Monday

Kaieteur News – School will resume virtually for students attending The Bishop’s High School, after a decision was made yesterday to close it owing to numerous cases of Covid-19 infections among the student and staff population.

The Bishops’ High School

An earlier notice by the school had called for an early closure of operations on Friday, but this was later revised to shut down the school entirely.
“Dear Parents, Good afternoon. As a result of numerous staff and students feeling unwell, the Administration and the Board of Governors of the Bishops’ High School, along with consultation with the Ministry of Education, have given permission for students and teachers to go home at their earliest convenience.”
Public schools across the country on Monday reopened, but this has not gone down well with parents as well as the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU).
In a statement earlier this week, the union called for the immediate closure of all schools, noting that 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 65 teachers, 44 learners have reportedly tested positive in two days of school. Also, 15 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.”
It was noted that “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.”

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