Teachers to resume duties on Monday

By SAMUEL BARIASI
TEACHERS are required to resume duties on Monday to prepare for classes which will begin the following week, says Education Minister Joseph Yopyyopy.
Term Two begins on May 4 and ends on July 10. Then there will be a one-week break before Term Three starts on July 20.
“We will maintain the normal five days of school per week,” he said.
“We will recover four weeks by adding one lesson period to the normal classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Two periods will be added to Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.
“For example, in high schools, there will be eight additional periods each week, equivalent to gaining one additional day each week.
“Hence in Terms Two and Three, we will gain 19 days (about four weeks) of schooling.”
He said five weeks of teaching and learning had been lost because of the state of emergency.
“We lost four weeks of Term One and one week of Term Two,” Yopyyopy said. Schools are expected to resume teaching and assessment programmes from Week Seven of Term One. They should cover all the lost hours by the end of Term Three.
“Schools are instructed to manage the internal school timetables and where necessary provide extra work for students,” he said.
In-service training for teachers this year has been cancelled.
“(But) schools are encouraged to develop and promote ongoing school-based in-service training plan throughout the year,” he said.
He said the Government would review the academic year in July or August.

Two women respond to call from Marape

TWO local businesswomen have responded to the call by Prime Minister James Marape to make reusable face masks for children and adults as part of the Covid-19 response plan.
Yesterday, Nivan Tailoring founder Heather Pole-Vanua said 2,400 reusable face masks were being made for students attending St Peter’s Channel Primary School in Port Moresby.
“The head teacher of St Peter’s Channel asked me to sew 2,350 for the students and 50 for the staff,” she told The National.

Marape yesterday called on women around the country to start their own businesses making face masks because they would in great demand.
“I ask our mothers (around) the country to use this as an opportunity to start a SME (small-medium enterprise) and sew face masks,” he said.
“I think face masks will become part of our dressing to ensure we don’t spread this contagious infectious disease. We (must) keep it from spreading.”
Pole-Vanua employs four people who operate from their homes.
“We started sewing two weeks ago when I saw the need for it,” she said.
“I have four permanent staff and I got two additional. I am looking for two more part-time staff. They are reusable masks. We are committed to supply masks not only at a very affordable price, but also with quality so that people can buy and wear something of quality.”
Businesswoman Janet Sios, the director of Joie’s Tailoring Limited, said they were also making face masks from their shop in Gordon.
The facemasks are made from cotton fabric which she said were suitable and appropriate for the weather. Sios said the company was accepting orders from firms and individuals.

Students advised to wear face masks to school

PRIME Minister James Marape says students returning to classes will need to wear face masks as a health safety measure.
“Face masks and gloves will be required in schools, in churches, in work places, in buses, in cars, in planes, in ships, and in life in general (because of) Covid-19,” Marape said on his Facebook page yesterday.
“Let us adjust to life with viruses.”
Education Minister Joseph Yopyyopy also said yesterday the Education Department would be conducting Covid-19 awareness in schools.
“These are basic principles that can help keep our students, teachers and staff safe at school and help stop the spread of Covid-19,” he said. When asked how students would go to school with the ban on buses, Yopyopy told The National that the State of Emergency Controller David Manning would be allowing buses to run again.
Meanwhile, Marape also urged people to farm the land and grow crops to sell.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) we bought 35 bags of kaukau from a hard working farmer for K5,000,” he said.
“Let’s stop complaining. Our ancestors lived through tougher times than (what we experience) today. Let’s work and not just seeing negatives all the time. A crisis brings opportunities too. The world needs food. Let us grow the food here in PNG.
“Papua New Guineans have land. Convert your land to food and money. Every day people need food. We will buy the food.”

Parents react differently to resumption of classes

PARENTS have mixed reactions to the resumptions of classes in schools and tertiary institutions in the next two week, with some suggesting that the 2020 academic year be suspended.
In The National nationwide weekly poll, people were asked this week their views on the government decision to resume classes after they were suspended five weeks ago due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Kaliyadi Nelson from Central said the 2020 academic year should be suspended “because students have already missed out on a lot”.
“Going back to classes now will be a great risk to the health and safety of children,” Nelson said.
Marianne Nidue from East Sepik called the resumption of classes “a bad idea”.
“There are already eight confirmed cases. The health of our children are being put at risk. They do not understand the threat of this Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
Samson Tala of Eastern Highlands warned the Government to “consider the safety of school children who need to understand how they can protect themselves and others from spreading Covid-19”.
John Laii also from East Sepik agreed that the resumption of classes would be a big risk to the health of children.
“It’s great to resume classes but safety measure must be prioritised in school, including student movement and food sold in the school premises,” he said.
But Clemence Kanau from East Sepik supported the resumption of classes and suggested that to cater for the large number of students, “there should be morning and afternoon classes to enable social distancing in the classrooms”.
Philip Amon from Morobe supported the resumption of schools “as it is a relief to parents”.
“The Government must also continue to give out correct information on the number of positive cases,” he said.

Grandmother relieved to return home

By GYNNIE KERO
SPENDING an extra five weeks in Port Moresby was not what grandmother Aglea Kovingre initially planned.
Kovingre, who works for the East Sepik provincial health authority, had travelled from Wewak to visit her daughter in the capital city last month.
She arrived two days before the state of emergency was declared. She could not return home because domestic flights were stopped.
She had no choice but to take an extended holiday in Port Moresby.
Yesterday, she finally got the clearance to fly back home.
After checking in at the Jackson airport in Port Moresby yesterday, with a boarding pass in her hand, Kovingre smiled with relief.
She was finally going home to her family in Wewak.
Meanwhile, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird said leaders in the province had resolved to return to work while maintaining secure border points and incorporating Covid-19 practices into all activities.
This followed a meeting in Wewak yesterday where it was made known that East Sepik has no positive or suspect cases after the 39-day lock down.
The leaders also resolved that more emphasis be placed on law and order issues, allowing people to move around but preventing people from crossing the border.
“Alternative arrangements be made to assist people to trade with Indonesia and the matter be taken up with relevant authorities,” he said.