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On a pittance from ministry, schools wrestle with deficient virus diktat
While schools prepare to re-open tomorrow, principals and teachers who reported to work a week earlier, expressed confusion on the directions from the Ministry of Education (MOE) about all teachers returning at once, despite only a few classes resuming.
The government decided to resume classes for grades 5, 11, and 13, in all government schools starting Monday.
Teachers’ unions said that since only a few classes are resuming work for the second term, the teachers serving in other grades will be idling.
The government last week decided to open up classes in stages, beginning with grades 11, 13 and 5 on July 6, and moving on to open schools for grades 10 and 2 on July 20. On July 27, schools will resume grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and lastly, grades 1 and 2 on August 10.
The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), said in addition, there is confusion over the circular issued on June 26, to teachers regarding their attendance.
All teachers have been requested to report half an hour before class starts and to register attendance in an ordinary CR book instead of the regular attendance book.
This system has been introduced to give flexibility to teachers who have to work till 3:30 pm, minimum one day a week.
The schools have been asked to design a flexible timetable. Also teachers can walk in around 10:30 am on days they work extra hours.
But, this is not possible as teachers who teach in grades 11 and 13 also teach in lower grades including 9 and 10.
Union general secretary, Joseph Stalin, said that last week all 247,670 teachers of national and provincial schools reported to work. They were busy preparing classrooms for the children in keeping with coronavirus task force guidance.
Confounding the confusion, the circulars issued by MOE and provincial education authorities show incongruency with several contradictory statements.
Chitra Hathumura, a teacher at Kanangara Vidyalaya, Borella, said that there is a confusion about wearing face masks. Whereas circulars said the children need not wear masks inside classrooms, the doctors, public health inspectors and the police insist that they wear.
Also, thermometers have become optional, with MOE saying the body temperatures of children need not be checked. But, schools that have money, have purchased them. “There is no uniformity,’’ she said.
She is apprehensive, and said it will be difficult to impose restrictions on children.
“We cannot ask children to maintain social distancing while eating and drinking, and playing. It is impossible,’’ she said.
Sri Lanka National Principals Union, said that although the government has given permission for teachers to report to work late on certain days, this is not possible as when classrooms are arranged to maintain social distancing, the number increases and teachers have to teach more classes.
Secretary, Mohan Weerasinghe, who is also the principal of Kotahena National School, said that the government allocation for readying schools under the coronavirus protocol is insufficient.
He said having a tap for every 50 children in a school for hand washing is very costly.
A school that has a student population of 1,000 will have to install 20 taps. Each tap with sink costs minimum Rs.10,000 and it will skyrocket to Rs. 200,000 only for the taps.
In addition, having minimum two sick rooms with beds will cost around Rs.10,000 at Rs. 5,000 a folding bed. Also, the school has to buy soap face masks.
Further expenses include providing sanitisers in activity rooms including labs, computer, dance and music rooms.
The government allocated Rs. 30,000 to Rs.110,000 for preparations depending on the population of students. Also, schools have been told not to ask parents for financial help.
“How can all this be done,’’ Mr Weerasinghe asked.
Principal Chaminda Liyanage of Philip Thilakawardena Vidyalaya, Nawagama(Kaduwela), said there are problems with pacing out children in classrooms.
The school, which has only 380 children has classes from grades 6 to 11.
He said that the school has only nine classrooms and even before the coronavirus pandemic, the there was not enough space. The school had divided a spacious hall into four classrooms.
Now, they have improvised, turning the dance hall into a classroom. But they need more space to ensure a meter of space between students.
“Now it is okay with only grades 11 starting, but when all classes start we will have a problem,’’ he said.
Anuradhapura Central College, which has 4,000 students, has instilled 16 new pedal taps in addition to 30 existing ones.
Deputy Principal Ananda Hettiarachchi, said sick rooms have been prepared and three thermometers purchased for use at three entrances.
“The allocated funds were not sufficient and we got assistance from the school development society budget,’’ he said.