THE Ministry of Education is still in discussions with health officials to determine the appropriate model of instruction when school reopens amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and fears of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Director of Education Marcellus Taylor said teachers will report to work on August 23 while students are scheduled to report to school on August 30. However, the details about the new school year are still being worked out.

“As you would be aware, we’ve said from March 2020 that (we will) make these decisions in combination with the Ministry of Health and guided by their concerns regarding the public health situation,” he said yesterday.

“We’re working with health (officials). They’re looking at the situation in terms of the number of cases and all of that and where the trouble spots are and whatever. They are going to advise us.”

This comes as the Senate passed a resolution yesterday to extend the Emergency Powers Orders until November and as cases and deaths continue to climb.

Officials have also said in this wave of the pandemic, younger people and those who are unvaccinated are being impacted while the hospital system is being pushed to the brink.

Recently, Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) President Belinda Wilson said she believed schools should reopen in the coming weeks as planned, but added that a comprehensive strategy must be implemented for safety.

“There must be clear safety protocols, class sizes must be decreased and there must be proper signage, adequate ventilation for classrooms, the use of masks, PPEs (personal protective equipment) for teachers and the sanitisation of classrooms throughout the day,” she said recently.

“Adequate cleaning supplies must be provided for the janitorial staff and if the face-to-face model is going to be used, then six-feet distancing must be implemented throughout the schools,” the BUT president added.

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