THE National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) on Friday officially declared that schools will remain closed indefinitely, given decisions taken when the matter was discussed at a virtual meeting on Thursday.

The announcement was an expected one, given the consistently rising number of cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) being recorded on a daily basis. As of last Friday, Guyana had recorded a total of 57 cases of the virus, inclusive of six deaths.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) had closed schools since March 16, after the country recorded its first coronavirus case on March 11. The closure was initially effective until April 3, which would’ve marked the end of the school term, leading straight into the two-week Easter vacation. As such, students and teachers were expected to return to school for scheduled reopening on April 20.

But on the said Monday April 20, the NCTF put out a statement saying, “The MoE will not re-open schools on Monday, April 20, as was previously planned, and that all schools will remain closed until further notice. E-learning will continue.”

In their attempt to mitigate the gap in learning, the MoE has been providing interactive learning via television, on the Learning Channel; on radio; and on their website.
With the closure of schools also came the postponement of upcoming national exams such as the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), while the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) simultaneously announced the postponement of the secondary school examinations offered by that body across the Caribbean.

The NCTF statement did not give details on the way forward with these exams, however MoE Public Relations Officer Brushell Blackman said a more detailed outline of the Ministry’s plans.

Similar closures of schools and other measures were effected all across the Caribbean and other parts of the world; measures requiring persons to remain at home as much as is practicable.

Some countries are projecting that their schools will remain closed at least for the rest of the year, as is the case in the United States. Closer to home, sister CARICOM country, Trinidad and Tobago, does not see foresee their schools opening their doors before September. Over in Jamaica, schools were initially closed until April 22, but the authorities there are also expected to shortly pronounce on the way forward for their schools.