Ministry confirms reopening of selected schools in Kingdom

Ministry confirms reopening of selected schools in Kingdom

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has announced the reopening of some public schools from grades 9 to 12 across the country. But public schools of all levels can reopen only in four low-risk provinces such as Kratie, Stung Treng, Ratanakkiri, and Mondulkiri town. The reopening of the second phase will start on September 7 for some public schools and some private schools.

Secondary and kindergarten classes will be able to complete the second semester by the end of November, while primary schools can be completed by the end of December.

The high school diploma examination will be held on December 21 and the lower secondary school diploma examination session on November 30.

A new guideline from the ministry issued on Thursday said it will examine the possibility of opening public schools in other capitals and provinces on a small scale. Private schools from kindergarten to high school reopening for the second stage must apply and sign an agreement with the Ministry in advance.

Educational institutions must implement disinfection measures by limiting the number of students in each classroom from 15 to 20 per room and implement a safety distance of at least two metres between students.

Schools must keep campus entrances open to avoid congestion and students standing in line should be 1.5m apart.

They must also have a health room with a teacher in charge of first aid and medical examination of students and staff. Parents must provide information about health and travel history while temperature must be taken before students and staff enter the classroom area.

Bak Touk High School in Phnom Penh, which has the largest number of 12th-grade students in the country, was selected as the first school to reopen in the second phase and includes in-class study and distance learning using technology.

The ministry said other educational institutions that have not yet reopened must continue to teach from a distance, while it continues to cooperate with all stakeholders to assess the situation and evaluate the preparation of educational institutions’ readiness to open in the third stage.

The government announced the closure of all schools across the country in March and required both urban and rural students to study remotely through television programmes or Facebook to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The reopening of schools is divided into three phases. The first is for schools with high safety standards, the second for those with moderate safety standards and the third for schools with minimum standards.

In the first phase, 20 private international schools with high safety standards were allowed to reopen in August.

Ministry of Education spokesman Ros Soveacha told The Post it was not yet possible to confirm the number of public and private schools that will open in the second phase.

Cambodia has so far prevented Covid-19 from spreading in the community, and Prime Minister Hun Sen recently announced the reopening of schools due to Cambodia’s success.

The Kingdom has reported no new cases in the past 13 days. A total of 273 cases have been reported since the pandemic began.

The global pandemic of Covid-19 has hit public health, the economy and education. UNICEF reported in June more than one billion students worldwide were out of school in 105 countries.

Credited: The Phnom Penh Post