Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape, MP
Universities throughout the country will resume classes next Monday 27 , April 2020, while primary and secondary schools will begin classes, on Monday 4 May on a trial basis.
Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape, announced the tentative arrangements at the coronavirus disease (covid-19) daily media briefing on Monday 20 April, 2020,
“As a responsible government, leading a team of responsible leaders, Members of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers, we feel it is our moral right to ensure education is not sabotaged or sacrificed.
The government will trial education next month, with specific protocols and guidelines to be issued by the Controller of the State of Emergency, David Manning, on the behaviour and conduct by teachers and students during the SOE.
“The Controller will issue specific protocols, of which teachers must conduct themselves in this manner, classes must be run in this manner , students must conduct themselves in this manner in all our schools, and we’ll see whether corona and presence of corona or spread of corona is stopped in this sort of new way of study or educational protocol.
“ Month of May will be a test case in which under new guidelines strict protocols and procedures, we’ll allow schools to come back into operation,” Mr Marape said.
The government will then examine and review the exercise at the end of May and should the trial become successful, then schools will continue to operate for the balance of the year.
Meantime, Mr Marape has also assured that the higher education sector is restored on Monday 27 April.
“It is because some programs that are being offered , for instance ,at the Medical School, and some special degree programs at the University of Technology, need to start school again on this date, so that they could have enough academic days or academic weeks to complete study for this year,” Mr Marape said.