–says only one student tested positive so far

THE Ministry of Education has rejected claims by Opposition Member of Parliament, Anette Ferguson, that there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Anna Regina Multilateral School, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The ministry, in a statement issued on Thursday, said that Ferguson’s claim that a number of students tested positive is completely false.
“The truth is one student of the school has tested positive. This has been confirmed by officers within the Department of Education in the Region,” the Education Ministry said.

The ministry clarified that the school has adequate space to accommodate all of its students. Presently, the school has approximately 650 students attending classes daily, and since the reopening of the school, only one assembly session was held.

When students enter the school, they enter their classrooms and remain there, only leaving to use the washroom or canteen during recess.
All of the cleaners attached to the school have all of the necessary personal protective equipment and cleaning detergents to ensure a clean environment, and the school is sanitised in the morning and the afternoon.

Further, the Ministry of Education said that all troughs and washroom facilities are functional. Students are monitored regularly to avoid gathering and adequate masks are available at all times.
A supervisory visit conducted on January 5, 2021, by officers of the Region’s Education Department found that all students and teachers were engaged in the teaching-learning process.

“The Ministry of Education accepts readily that these are challenging times for the education sector across the world and for the delivery of education to Guyana’s children,” the Education Ministry related, adding: “The ministry would be happy to receive constructive and sensible contributions on how it can improve delivery, but calls on all persons to be responsible in their publications and whispers, conversations and representations.”