EFSL draws up plan for schools to function during pandemic
View(s):An eight-point plan to mitigate education lost during school closure has come up with a strategic plan for more permanent solutions to keep schools open, was recently drawn up by the Education Development Forum Sri Lanka (EFSL).
As a first step EFSL suggests for teachers to be vaccinated on a priority basis and children travelling from high risk areas to be tested for COVID-19.
Last week EFSL stressed on the importance of treating school teachers as frontline workers and it said the 246,952 teachers serving in Government schools should be vaccinated immediately.
The plan also suggests that regular tests should be conducted on students living in high risk areas, and if any student is tested positive, individual classrooms or groups of students should be isolated instead of entire schools closed.
It also recommends a blended learning experience in schools by including online learning in schools so the transition to online classes can be done with ease during an emergency situation.
EFSL also suggests the Education Ministry come up with a bi-weekly self-learning programme to teach students who are homebound during a lockdown. The programme should be managed by a teacher at least once a week.
It also said parents cannot take the role of a teacher. With a ratio of one teacher for every 16 students in Government schools it would be easier to assign teachers to overlook studies at least once a week on a one-on-one basis.
Discrediting the practice of sending study content material through mobile phones and conducting classes via Zoom and television channels, EFSL encourages for teleconferencing lessons to be conducted through mobile phones.
EFSL also recommends decentralising the decisions to reopen schools so the entire system does not shut down when one area is affected.
It said school principals, teachers and relevant school committees should be given authority to decide if a school should be closed due to an infected student or teacher. -CC