Education Ministry moves to address seating arrangements for students in classrooms

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand turned to her Facebook page to announce that before the end of the week, only one child will be allowed to sit on one bench.

Education Ministry moves to address seating arrangements for students in classrooms

Facing a barrage of criticism over the situation in many schools with cramped classrooms as the COVID-19 positive cases continue to rise, the Ministry of Education has decided to get additional furniture into the schools.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand turned to her Facebook page to announce that before the end of the week, only one child will be allowed to sit on one bench.

“You spoke. We listened. As far as we can, given physical space challenges, we will move to combination seating ( desk and chair in one structure for each child in High School) over the next year”, Manickchand said.

The Guyana Teachers Union and the political opposition have been pressing the Education Ministry to reassess its decision to reopen schools to full time classes in the middle of the pandemic as the country continues to see record numbers in the daily new cases.

While some schools were able to have proper seating arrangements in place to allow physical distancing, other schools saw two and three children sharing one bench.

Since the reopening of schools two weeks ago, more than 350 teachers and almost 200 students have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Education Ministry continues to encourage parents to give permission for their children to be vaccinated. The Education Minister said science has been showing that the only way out of the pandemic is through vaccination.

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