Student safety a concern

The National Main Stories
Parents worry about sending children to school

By AILEEN KWARAGU
PARENTS have been assured that everything is being done to ensure the health and safety of children in school, although the final decision to send them to class is entirely theirs.
National Capital District education services secretary Sam Lora was responding to concerns raised by parents yesterday on the safety of sending children to school in the middle of a Covid-19 community transmission in the capital city, with nine new cases reported yesterday.
He assured parents that the schools were doing all they could to stop the spread of the Covid-19.
“We respect parents if they do not feel safe for children to attend classes,” he said.
“We have a problem with social distancing, especially overcrowding. But it is compulsory now that every individual must wear a mask.”
The national total of the Covid-19 cases reached 333 yesterday, with more than 200 alone in Port Moresby.
The oldest patient is 84 and the youngest two years old.
Mother-of-four Sybil Suruba from Northern, whose young twins are in Grade Three at the Wardstrip Primary School in Waigani said she was worried about her children’s education.
Her eldest daughter is in Grade 10 at Gordon Secondary and her son is in Grade Nine at Gerehu Secondary School.
“I am worried sick for my children because they have missed out on a lot of lessons during the last two lockdowns,” Suruba said.
“I hope teachers will make up for all those lessons they have missed.”
Suruba said it would be best to cancel the rest of the 2020 academic year “to save students from stress and pressure, especially those who have exams”.
Parent Dagu Hebore from Central who has three children at school said she did not feel safe allowing her children to go to school.
Her eldest son is in Grade Eight at the Bavaroko Primary School in East Boroko, while her daughter is doing Grade Three there too.
Her youngest son attends the Edai Early Learning at Boera outside Port Moresby.
“Schools should only reopen when it is safe for the children, especially when we have crowded classrooms,” Hebore said.
Hebore said the only way she would feel safe for her children was to be assured that schools were strictly following public health measures and hygiene practices to stop the Covid-19 transmission.
Some children in Port Moresby have to travel by public buses to school, travelling with adult passengers who still do not wear masks and in crowded buses with no hand sanitisers provided.
But NCD Governor Powes Parkop said the National Capital District Commission buses were on the road yesterday transporting students.

9 comments

  • Its the new normal everyone is talking about. You are not safe where ever you are! take each day as it comes while closely observing the covid-19 protocols. children are naturally careless so every parent is concern about their health and safety. We depend on others to do their jobs as others trust us to do ours. We expect our teachers in both the private and public school systems to conduct themselves professional with their students’ interest at heart.

  • Thank you Samson for your comments, however it is still not convincing as the lively hood of our children is high risk, given the confirm number of cases reported here in NCD, I strongly suggest for the school to be shut for this year 2020, all students are to repeat there grades next year.

    We are all given one lives, we will be gone today, education will still be here, whether old or young will still go to school.

    The Government have to come up with a final decision to Shut down all schools.

    C

  • I agree with Bev’s statement, if a student contract the virus, it is easy to spread very quickly, bcos our classrooms are over crowded. Students without thinking they play alot, and if anyone is with the virus, it can spread quickly.

    Thanks

  • Thank you Bev for your suggestions. I agree with your point of view saying that the government should shutdown all the schools for this half academic year, 2020. It’s not as safe yet to risk the children’s lives and forcing them to attend classes. Government please answer my question here, “Is education worth more than a live?”‘ Live is precious and cannot be replaced. Government has think carefully now and make the right decisions and let us all the citizens know.

  • Thank you Bev and Mark you’r right we all the parents have the same corncen for our children so our good goverment must do something nao befor it’s late.

  • very valid concerns raised here, government should think critically on the concerns raised here. life is truly irreplaceable and priceless.

    where are our think thanks? please advice government on this.

    thank you

  • We have to continue school with limited number of students maybe evening class and morning classes. there is no assurance that covid 19 will end at the end of the year 2020 and will be safe next year or a definite vaccine will be created for the pandemic. For me my kids are still not allowed to go to school until a proper measure is taken by government.

  • Where is the proof of people dying of Covid 19 in PNG? World Heath Organisation (WHO) is fabricating to put forth their agenda, that is, to insert the so-called vacine, which could be the 666 which the bible talks, who knows..Now in the stores ‘no mask no entry’. that’s exactly the bibles says about the number…already this conspiracy is floating, who knows..the devil is at the back of this, taking sheild behind WHO and wants to put forth his agenda fullfilling the bible prophacies…Jesus is coming, get ready..

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