Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, effected site visits, today, at Sir Abdool Raman Osman State College (SARO) and Sodnac State Secondary School, to take stock of measures taken in the context of the phased resumption of classes as from 05 July 2021.
Officers of the Ministry were also present during the visits. In a statement, the VPM expressed satisfaction that all necessary measures have been implemented to ensure that each school is ready for the resumption of classes.
She highlighted that the main priority remains the safety of students and of the personnel of the education sector. She further indicated that, at SARO, an isolation room has been set up to cater for students who present symptoms of COVID-19.
Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun also underlined that all precautionary measures are being observed in classes, with social distancing being applied and sanitisers being used at all times.
She expressed confidence that students will be able to resume their studies in the best possible conditions, following a four-month break with school holidays and the lockdown period due to a resurgence of the coronavirus in the local community.
Moreover, she informed that as from tomorrow, some courses will be available on channels of the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation for students who have not yet been able to resume classes. She added that rectors of both public and private institutions are invited to contact the Ministry should there be any problem at school.
The Vice-Prime Minister pointed out that there will not be more than 50% of students in an institution at any given time so as to ensure their safety and enable heads of each institution to ensure proper management.
For his part, SARO’s rector, Mr Aboobakar Murad, dwelt on how necessary measures have been implemented to ensure that only 20 to 24 students are present per class in a bid to observe safety and sanitary protocols.
He also indicated that students aged 18 years old and above were already informed that they should be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to be granted access to the school premises.
Mr Murad also stressed that as from 06 July 2021, SARO, which is one of the 12 Academia across the island, will be attended by some 70 female students.
