Edu. Ministry dismisses claims students at Anna Regina school are COVID positive

See below full press release issued by the Ministry of Education: 

The Ministry of Education rejects untruths being peddled on Social Media by Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson regarding the Anna Regina Multilateral School in Region Two.

Ms Ferguson claims that ‘a number of students’ tested positive. The truth is one student of the school has tested positive. This has been confirmed by officers within the Department of Education in the Region.

The school has adequate space to accommodate all of its students. Presently, the school has approximately 650 students attending classes daily. Since the reopening of the school, only one assembly session was held. When students enter the school, they enter their classrooms and remain there only leaving to use the washroom or canteen during recess.

All of the cleaners attached to the school have all of the necessary Personal Protective Equipment and cleaning detergents to ensure a clean environment. The school is sanitized in the morning and the afternoon. All troughs and washroom facilities are functional.

Students are monitored regularly to avoid gathering and adequate masks are available for students. A supervisory visit conducted on January 5th, 2021 by Officers of the Department revealed that all students and teachers were engaged in the teaching-learning process.

The Ministry of Education accepts readily that these are challenging times for the education sector across the world and for the delivery of education to Guyana’s children. The Ministry would be happy to receive constructive and sensible contributions on how it can improve delivery but calls on all persons to be responsible in their publications and whispers, conversations and representations.