Schools fully reopened from today

After being closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, today public schools fully reopened their doors to children across Guyana. Over the next week, pupils in every grade will be returning to the classroom for face-to-face engagement.

Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson visited several schools around Georgetown earlier today. His first stop was at Queen’s College. The education official stated that the reopening of school is an exciting moment for both the students and the ministry. He noted that all studies have shown that the longer schools are closed, the greater the learning loss would be.

“The literature is very clear that face to face education, nothing beats that, and we expect our children to settle in nicely and to do well. We have had a phased reopening because we did not want to create any confusion, and so we wanted to watch and assess the situation.”

He also noted that the Ministry is continuing Operation Recovery to ensure those pupils who have dropped out of school as a result of the pandemic are returned to the school system.

As schools reopen, the Ministry of Education remains committed to ensure each child receives the education they rightly deserve in a safe and conducive environment.

“We recognise that we are not out of the woods as they would say and so schools are still required to wear the face masks, wash their hands and use sanitisers. So, all necessary precautions still will be made in terms of the safety and security of all students.”

Pupils in Nursery Year Two, Grades Five, Six, Nine, 10, 11 and 12 have returned to face-to-face engagement from today. On Thursday, Grades Three, Four and  Eight are expected to return to school. On Tuesday, pupils in Nursery Year One, Grades One, Two and Seven will return to the classroom.