Teachers have accused the government of handicapping many children with its plan to limit attendance in larger schools when classes recommence on August 10. The plan to stagger school attendance for institutions with more than 200 pupils is unrealistic and discriminatory, the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said, saying the government had failed to consult key [...]

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Many children will be left behind, teachers charge

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Teachers have accused the government of handicapping many children with its plan to limit attendance in larger schools when classes recommence on August 10.

The plan to stagger school attendance for institutions with more than 200 pupils is unrealistic and discriminatory, the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said, saying the government had failed to consult key stakeholders over its strategy to avert coronavirus infection in schools. The plan follows guidelines set out by health authorities.

Accordingly, all schools with fewer than 200 students will be opened five days a week, with Advanced Level students expected to stay back after 3.30 p.m. to enable the syllabus to be covered due to time lost during the coronavirus lockdown.

Schools that have more than 200 pupils will have to stagger classes, with the result that students in those institutions would only be able to have two or three days of school a week.

The government said this would enable schools with space restrictions to maintain a 1m distance between students.

When schools reopen on August 10,  Monday classes will be held for grades 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

On Tuesday, grades 2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13 classes will be held, and on Wednesday, classes will be held for grades 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Both on Thursday and Friday grades 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 will operate.

This will continue until further notice from the Education Ministry.

Analysis of the timetable shows, grades 4 and 9 will only have school for two days a week.

Kurunegala Royal College teacher, R.M. Ratnayake said some rural schools have a student population just above 250 and up to 300, with enough space to meet the 1 metre distance in classrooms. “The teachers are ready to teach them,” he said.

The government’s plan does not provide a level playing field to all children, Mr. Ratnayake said: while some children would attend school all five days of a normal week others would have only two or three days.

“The children will feel they are being discriminated against,” he said.

Mr. Ratnayake said the government had drawn up the plan without considering the availability of space in each school.

“This has been hurriedly prepared to open up schools for election propaganda. We were not consulted,” he said.

Education Ministry Secretary M.H.M. Chitrananda refuted the claim that school authorities were not consulted. He said that although proposals were requested no-one had come forward. The main objective had been to adhere to health guidelines.

“Also, we are focusing only on the students who are sitting exams in September,” he said.

Advanced Level exams are scheduled to be held from September 7 to October 2. The Grade 5 Scholarship exam, scheduled to be held on August 3, has been postponed to September 13.

CTU Vice President Theeban Arokiyanathan, who teaches at Muthuthambi MV in Jaffna, said it was difficult for teachers to keep discipline in classrooms over the COVID-19 distancing regulations.

He said Jaffna people did not take the dangers of the spread of the virus seriously.

“Therefore, the children are difficult to discipline regarding the health guidelines set out by the COVID-19 Taskforce,” he said.

“Even if the teachers are able to discipline them to follow health protocols we are not sure whether they follow it when we are not around.”

School attendance among Jaffna students had been very poor in the past two weeks. “It is only around 60 per cent,” Mr. Arokiyanthan said.

The Ministry of Education said schools would not open next week because of the election. Education Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said since Monday is a public holiday and the election is on August 5 (Wednesday) schools can be closed for the week.

With around 1,000 schools being used for election activity and vote-counting expected to continue well into Thursday the schools will be handed back only on Friday.

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