Too early to ease restriction

PAPUA New Guinea as a growing nation doesn’t have medical facilities or proper medical kits to fight this Covid-19 pandemic.
But under the leadership of Prime Minister James Marape, our nation was well guided for the last four weeks – job well done.
However, I raise my points regarding the resumption of schools on May 4 and international flights.
I think it is too early to resume (schools and international flights) as the Covid-19 is not yet over in most of the countries around the globe.
They are still fighting hard to get it out of the way.
I think we are taking a risk. The current student population in most of the public schools from elementary to secondary is so huge.
I am a secondary school teacher and I teach 80 to 90 grade 11 and 12 students in a very confined room.
That means we have over 100 students in grade 9 and 10 classrooms.
Overcrowding is an individual schools existing problem.
Therefore social distancing won’t be effective at the school level.
Following are some few personal opinions or suggestions to consider. Allow only the teachers to resume next week to assess the situation.
The students can start probably after next week.
When teachers go back to work, they can plan and strategise on lessons plan to make up for the lost times, especially with the teaching and learning in the classroom.
This includes how to complete units or topics for the remaining months before the grade 10, 12 and final year students in the tertiary institutions sit for their exams.
Teachers need to consider the existing infrastructure in schools, especially classrooms and toilets and take measures on how to maintain health and hygiene and how to maintain social distancing (if it means to have am and pm shift classes, to minimise the number per class).

Roselyne D Knox,
Mount Hagen