School allows face masks
A PRIMARY school in Gerehu, Port Moresby, will not allow students without face masks into its premises as part of its safety measures against a potential Covid-19 outbreak.
Phillip Aravure Primary School upper-primary coordinator Steven Lamb told The National yesterday that parents were made aware of this and were expected to provide face masks for students.
“We are expecting parents to provide their children with (face masks) when they come to school,” he said.
Lamb said the school could provide personal protective equipment for teachers but not for all students because the school’s budget was inadequate.
“We will be running out of money if we provide for all students.”
Lamb said the Education Department had instructed all schools to have teachers and students wear face masks but did not specify who was going to pay for them.
“Our school has about 1,700 students (excluding elementary) and the cheapest face mask would be going for at least K3, so the school will use up all our funds in just one week if we pay for face masks every day.”
Meanwhile, State of Emergency (SOE) controller David Manning announced on Monday that all primary to secondary schools would be inspected to ensure that they met all requirements of mitigating the risk of the Covid-19.
“All schools are to complete a prescribed checklist to mitigate the risk of the Covid-19 to their students, staff and surrounding communities,” he said.
“The checklist, which includes the various health protocols, is to be (checked) by the Education Department and a spread sheet is to be forwarded to the national operations centre by the close of business on next Monday.”
Meanwhile, students and parents in Eastern Highlands were told that formal classes begin on May 11 when they returned to schools on Monday following the SOE order.
The order was for all elementary, primary, high, secondary and technical schools to begin classes on Monday under strict Covid-19 prevention guidelines.
Eastern Highlands education adviser Albert Wesley confirmed that school administrations and teachers would spend this week preparing school facilities such as classrooms (social distancing), hand wash basins (hygiene) and other necessary measures (providing face masks) to protect against the virus.
Wesley said schools would also modify time tables and schedules, programmes and other administrative adjustments during this week to cater for students.
4 comments
To buy masks and Gloves by either parents or Schools will be too expensive cos Masks and Gloves are only ONE USE. Child goes to school for 5 days so 5 of each PPE and thats how expensive it would be.
However, I suggest HOME MADE Masks only by piece of a Sheet sworn by mums at home. And Gloves are not necessary if Handwashing Stations are set up by school Administration. Home made masks can be washed after school and dried for next day use again.
Parents must encourage their children to apply basic health tips when going to school. All the responsibilities of the children are in the hands of parents and when your children go to school, they have their own responsibilities to control themselves. Only children attending elementary and kindergarten schools a bit concern because they are too little and hard to control themselves because they may definitely forget some of the health tips.
In my school we (students) are using the same face mask for three consecutive days which is Monday, the first day of school, on Tuesday and now this Wednesday. What is that?
Also what is social distancing in my school?
Those students who went out of the school due to the lock down came back and are not doing this social distancing are taking the situation as normal. They even enter the dormatories of those locked down ones unnecessarily which is a threat to some of us..
It is a problem in remote schools. Also the suppliers (supper markets etc) are not selling the masks. I think we are taking the risk knowing that it will not work for kids. There should be basic PPE training conducted by Health Department before the kids are allowed to use.
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