Fewer Students in the Classroom in New School Year

COVID-19 has also prompted school managements to put in place specific protocols that relate to children coming down with the seasonal flu.  Aside from those procedures, Chief Executive Officer, Deborah Domingo, of the Ministry of Education, also emphasized that there will be fewer children in the classroom this upcoming school year and a scheduling system will be introduced by the respective general managements.

Deborah Domingo, CEO, Ministry of Education

Deborah Domingo

“During school time certain parts of the year, children come home and they come down with the cold or the flu several times during the year and it is for those reasons these measures are being put in place.  Note that what we are asking for is because of this very unprecedented threat we’re experiencing with COVID-19.  But as a matter of practice there should be some protocols in place in schools to reduce the risk of infection.  With COVID-19 because it is so, so high-stakes parents should expect that the classrooms will have fewer children because they need to be socially distanced.  Many children don’t get to wash their hands as frequently as we are asking them to.”

Dr. Carol Babb

Dr. Carol Babb, Chief Education Officer

“And remember, CEO, in our management meeting we spoke to regular hand washing, meaning that as soon as the children come into the classroom they will hand wash before break, after break, after they visit the bathroom, before going to lunch.  So we are expecting that they will do hand washing for at least four times per morning.  And so this is the new norm, as you rightly said, and we need everyone to come onboard and support the students and the teachers and parents are asked, as you rightly said, to model that kind of behavior at home.”