The 2021 school year finally starts in July. The start of the school year will definitely be on Monday 05. The schools will bring together vaccinated and unvaccinated students, and the Ministry is betting heavily on the respect of sanitary regulations. With all the work done for the reopening in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the preparation of school staff for the management of students, the Ministry of Education considers itself ready.
Reduced attendance or better management
Covering a maximum of the curriculum but also ensuring the protection of each student and staff. The Ministry is clear, “they will all have to follow strictly the protocols for the safety of each other”. Schools are in the final stages of disinfection, with vaccination of teachers and other staff more than 90 per cent complete. “School will be in session two or three days a week. Not all classes will resume at the same time, timetables have been reviewed, there will only be half of the student population which facilitates good management according to the protocols,” says a Ministry of Education representative.
Staff will carry out barrier measures in the school compound. The temperature checks at the entrance of the school at a predefined time for each grade, the compulsory wearing of masks, the disinfection of hands, the distancing in the courtyard as well as in the classrooms, and the recreation by section. If a pupil contracts the virus during school hours, he or she will be taken in charge by the Ministry of Health teams and a contact tracing exercise will follow to determine the quarantine of the contaminated and the disinfection of the premises. As for their study program, they will be accompanied by distance learning courses.
Vaccination of 18 year olds!
The vaccination campaign for the over 18s is underway. In addition, those who do not yet have their identity card can use their student card, their birth certificate and if necessary a special note from their respective institutions. It starts this Saturday 3 July and Monday 5 July from 9 am to 3 pm. They can go to the five centers set up for this purpose, at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex, the SSR airport, the JNE building in Coromandel, the University of Mauritius and the Polytechnic Centre in Pamplemousses. There are also plans to have mobile units deployed for students over the age of 18. “Since the available vaccines are not suitable for use in 12 to 17 year olds, we are waiting for the arrival of Pfizer, the only one authorised by the WHO. We are already negotiating. We have more or less 90,000 students in this age group, and as Pfizer also requires two doses, this particular vaccination campaign will require around 200,000 doses,” says our interlocutor.
2021-2022 University Year Postponed
The Cambridge School Certificate results will be made public in mid-August and the HSC at the end of August. The start of the university year in Mauritius has already been postponed to late September or early October. Students who will be going for higher studies in foreign universities who have already started their programs will have to go through a catch-up program. “And thus in no case will they lose an academic year because of the pandemic crisis,” says the representative.
Vallée des Prêtres Government School closed
With the announcement by the National Communication Committee, NCC, that the Vallée des Prêtres Section and part of Red Earth will be placed in the Red Zone, the Vallée des Prêtres Government School will remain closed until further notice. These students will be spared from attendance at the school, but perhaps not from online classes. To be continued… Until then, Le Matinal wishes a good start to the new school year to all students and remains hopeful for a well-managed start.
