Leela Devi Dookun Lutchoomun announced at a press briefing in Phoenix that Monday to Friday face-to-face learning for all will soon be a reality. Staggered Classing will only be in place from the start of the school year on Monday until 15 October. Then, from 18 October until the end of the second term, all pupils will return to classes at the same time throughout the week (Monday to Friday). Therefore, classes will resume as normal and continue for the third term.
The second term will be extended for catch-up purposes by the equivalent of 30 days in a fortnight. Instead of ending on 03 December, it will end on 17th December. The third term will also be extended and will run from 10 January to 29 April.
VPM Dookun-Luchoomun indicated that this resumption plan has been discussed with all stakeholders while considering that students must be able to study in a safe environment. According to her, the modular assessment for Science as well as for History and Geography for the Primary School Achievement Certificate (PSAC) will take place under same prevailing conditions at the end of the second term.
Moreover, the VPM informed that the last term will start on 10 January 2022 and will also be extended by two weeks to end on 29 April 2022, instead of 15 April 2022. The objective behind these extensions, she pointed out, is to enable students to complete their respective syllabus. She further underlined that there will be a reprioritisation of the curriculum, thus resulting in a modification of the assessment syllabus for PSAC and the National Certificate of Education. The holistic aspect of education would however be maintained, she added.
Same conditions will similarly apply for tertiary education students, who will have to be physically present for classes as from October 2021. For their part, Rodrigues and Agalega will still maintain their normal school calendar.
Before concluding, she appealed to students to scrupulously observe precautionary and sanitary measures not only in schools but also at home. She also called upon parents, teachers and students to act responsibly so as to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
