All Schools in Dominica to Reopen On Sept 1-7, Minister Outlines Preparation

Education Minister Octavia Alfred has announced that all schools in Dominica will reopen between September 1 and 7, 2020. According to the minister, school teachers will resume first on September 1 and students will resume the following week on September 7. This will enable the teachers to prepare the school to receive the students and to put measures in place to safeguard their health in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister Alfred said the government took the decision to reopen schools across the island since there are no active coronavirus cases in the country and there is no threat of spreading the disease in the community. She said the decision was taken in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“All schools will reopen for teachers on September 1, 2020, and for all students on Monday, September 7, 2020,” Alfred announced. “So, from September 1, staff will engage in final preparations to receive students.”

She revealed that teachers and school employees will undertake general cleaning and rearrangement of chairs, as well as install hand-washing stations and water troughs from September 1-4. Apart from implementing health protocols to safeguard the health of teachers and students, teaching staff will also engage in professional training and staff development as well as strategic planning before the students resume on September 7.

The minister also explained that ICT will be given its rightful place for teaching purposes in the new school era.

“These pre-testing activities will guide our remedial programme or programmes which will be necessary before moving ahead,” the minister explained. “We need to understand that ICT was always there; it might just become a little more popular. So, teaching and learning will be done face-to-face and we will include the use of ICT as usual or a little more.”

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