Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts Premila Kumar is urging students above the age of 18 to get jabbed.

Ms Kumar in a statement yesterday said as of the current 9115 students in Year 13 students, 8349 were over the age of 18 and the remaining 766 students were 17 years old.

She revealed that the latest data showed that 26 per cent of students were fully vaccinated while 30 per cent have only received their first jab.

End of October

“We are anticipating that more students will be fully vaccinated by the end of October. The remaining 44 per cent of eligible students who have not received their jabs are therefore urged to get vaccinated for their own safety,” Mrs Kumar said.

“We intend to resume face-to-face classes for our Year 12 and 13 students as soon as safety protocols are in place. These protocols keep changing based on scientific research.

“The ministry is working on a number of logistics that must be put in place before we can safely bring these students back to school. While we must learn from others, we must also find our own solutions suited to our local situation,” she added.

Ministry of Health

Mrs Kumar met with Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete on Monday to discuss the possibility of reopening schools in a new normal, especially for the Years 12 and 13.

She said this new normal would include preparing schools that are poorly ventilated, training teachers on COVID-safe protocols, educating students on COVID-19 safety protocols and encouraging all those who are affiliated with schools to get vaccinated.

“While this is going to change how we operate within our schools, it is reassuring that we can now look forward to gradually reopening the schools particularly for our Years 12 and 13 later this year.”

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