News
Schools given full list of instructions for tomorrow
Volunteers help prep the Anamaduwa Kottukachchiya Nayodya school. Pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
With schools scheduled to start tomorrow in all areas except the Western Province and lockdown areas, principals have been ordered to have all health protocols in place to enable children to function without fear in the “new normal” environment.
An instruction manual directs that school premises and equipment be disinfected frequently and adequate ablution facilities made available, with sufficient sinks and clean toilets. Rooms should be well ventilated and have good lighting.
Help should be sought from parents, former students, Public Health Inspectors and local health ministry officers to make schools ready and to introduce and enforce COVID-19 guidelines, the education ministry said.
Teachers should introduce respiratory etiquette to children and be strict on proper disposal of waste including masks and tissues.
Pupils’ temperatures have to be checked at the entrance to school and authorities have been reminded to keep attendance records for students, teachers and non-academic staff.
Every school should have an emergency sick room for children who might suddenly fall sick.
The education ministry has also asked operators of school vans and three-wheelers that transport children not to overcrowd vehicles and to prevent children from eating food inside their transport.
Vehicle interiors have to be thoroughly disinfected, drivers and assistants must wear masks and sanitise their hands often and also encourage children to do likewise.
The President of the All-Island Schoolchildren Transport Association, Malsiri de Silva, said the body had consented to the requirements but he was sceptical that these would always be followed.
He said with limited seating facilities it would not be possible to run vehicles profitably.
Also, he said, parents were reluctant to send their children to school in the vans. “Without children, how are we supposed to operate the service?” he asked.
Mr. de Silva also said many parents were in arrears with transport fees due to financial difficulties.
“We will watch the situation and run on a rotating basis but if dies not work out we will withdraw our services and go into other businesses,” Mr. de Silva said.
The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said the education ministry’s instructions looked good but it was doubtful if schools could carry them out, especially for a considerable time.
“Schools should be given special allocations to carry out these functions,” CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said.