Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS), Administration and Finance at Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) Jerre Sanyang has urged the upper basic school authorities within Region 2 and 4 to always adhere to the Ministry of Health (MoH) and WHO guidelines against Covid-19.
Mr Sanyang gave this advice to the school authorities during his two-day visit to the said schools last week, meant to assess the turn-out of grade 9 students in class, their sitting arrangement and also whether schools have enough PPE supply.
Grade 9 Students in the country resumed normal classes on Wednesday, June 24th in preparation for 2020/21 The Gambia Basic Education Certificate Examination.
DPS stressed the need for the school authorities to constantly check the temperatures of both teachers and students right at the entrance.
“Coronavirus is something real. Reopening of grade 9 classes must go with health protocols. Exams will soon be conducted; so, the students need to study hard in order to come out with good results,” he remarked.
Mr Sanyang explained that the ministry in consultation with its stakeholders had three options concerning the reopening of grade 9 classes; and these are either for the students to repeat, no new intake for grade 9 students in 2021/2022 school academic year, or reopening of grade 9 classes. “We finally came to the conclusion that grade 9 students should resume their classes because failure to reopen grade 9 classes means we are denying those students at ECD and lower basic school level their right to education,” he argued.
The authorities of the schools visited all appealed to the ministry for more supply of Covid-19 PPE in their schools; especially face masks.
Similar visits were made by Minister Cole, PS Mendy, DPS Sanyang, DPS Jobe and other MoBSE officials to regions 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.
By Lamin B Darboe, Information Officer, MOBSE