Covid-19 forced closure of five schools in Linden

Jan 12, 2022 News

– several teachers, students contract virus

Kaieteur News – Several nursery, primary and secondary schools in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region (Region 10), have recorded positive COVID-19 cases in both teachers and students.

Photo of Region 10 GTU Chairman Alister Fraser

Some of these schools have since been closed, while some remain open. For those that remain open, teachers have advised parents not to send their children to school. Relaying the information was Chairman of the Guyana Teachers’ Union Region 10 Chapter, Alister Fraser. Based upon data collected, Alister said at least five schools have recorded positive cases. These are: Mackenzie High School, the Watooka Day Primary School, the Amelia’s Ward Primary School, the Wismar Hill Nursery School, the One Mile Primary School and the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School.
It is on this basis, the GTU has demanded that face-to-face learning be suspended, and has marked Monday as isolation day. “As COVID-19 cases went up, the (GTU) determined through their own mechanism of data collection that over 136 teachers and 44 students as of Saturday 8th January 2022, were affected by the virus and every day since the numbers are rising as teachers, students and ancillary staff report their results” Fraser said.
The Union Representative said they have been gathering data everyday as teachers who have exhibited symptoms get tested. Many teachers turned out to work on Monday, even as the GTU called for an isolation day, while some opted to stay home. The percentage of students who turned out is below 50.
At the Christiansburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS), one teacher said the students had to be placed on rotation to tackle overcrowding and she is of the belief that the overcrowding during the first week of the term, resulted in several students and teachers contracting the virus.
When Kaieteur News contacted the Regional Executive Officer Dwight John, for a comment on what systems are being put in place to ensure the safety of teachers and students attending the schools that have recorded positive cases, John said the schools were fumigated for the beginning of the Easter Term and further sanitisation measures will be taken for these schools. He said the sanitisation facilities at these schools are all functioning such as hand-washing sinks.
Meanwhile, some teachers and parents continue to call on the Ministry of Education to suspend face-to-face learning. “I believe that they should close schools, I am not comfortable with my children going to school with the spike in cases, it is not safe, no proper system is being put in place,” on parent, Deslain Peters said.
Minister of Education Priya Manickhand said that face-to-face learning should continue since the horrid effects of prolonged absence from school has been repeatedly studied and documented, including by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
All the reports in the world say that school needs to be the last place to close, and the first to re-open as COVID-19 will not go away soon. “The ministry will continue to do what is asked of us by the majority, while allowing for space for parents who don’t agree with the majority to do what is best for their children,” Minister Manickchand said.
She was also quick to point out that engaging ‘Online’ in Guyana means that more than half the school population will go without an education because of no or poor internet infrastructure. Region 10 recently recorded 203 active cases.

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