Ministry of Education has urged students and parents to ensure they have the right information regarding the timings and procedures in place as schools reopen on January 10.
Schools are set to reopen for the second term of the 2020 Academic Year on January 10. Part of the academic calendar for 2020 had to be pushed to 2021 due to the lockdown imposed in the Maldives last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The education ministry has categorized schools into three categories for the beginning of the second term of the ongoing academic year. As such, the first category includes schools which can conduct single-sessions while maintaining the social distancing guidelines set by Health Protection Agency (HPA). The second category includes schools which can conduct double-sessions while maintaining the social distancing guidelines set by HPA. Sessions of schools in these two categories will be conducted 5 days a week.
Meanwhile, the third category includes schools which can conduct sessions on alternate days while maintaining HPA guidelines. Students of such schools will attend their allocated school session 5 days within two weeks.
The education ministry has also classified regions and islands into three categories for reopening of schools. Category A includes islands under lockdown, while Category B includes islands under monitoring. Category C includes islands with no reported cases of COVID-19.
As per the ministry, schools in Category A islands or regions will not be reopened on January 10, while schools in Category B islands or regions are required to conduct its sessions in accordance to the respective HPA guidelines. Schools in Category C islands or regions can conduct its sessions for foundation and key stages as normal.
Students of key stages 1 to 5 will have their sessions 5 days a week, with each session lasting 4-5 hours. Foundation stage students will also have their sessions 5 days a week, with sessions lasting a minimum of 2 hours. One hour of each session is allocated for checking temperatures, washing hands and other personal safety measures against COVID-19.