Monday July 6, at a press conference, Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet, Minister of National Education, provided an update on the resumption of school activities on August 10 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31195-haiti-flash-dates-of-resumption-of-school-and-university-activities.html and the actions programmed by the Ministry in order to complete the academic year 2019-2020.

He recalled that according to the calendar established by the ministry, the resumption of school activities will be done only for the students expected in the State exams of 9th fundamental and final year (Secondary 4 and philosophy), on Monday, August 10. The other classes will resume on August 17. The end of the courses for the academic year is scheduled for October 9, 2020 and the academic year 2020-2021 will officially start on November 9.

The official exams will take place from October 12 to October 22, 2020 :

• Examinations of the 9th AF, Ecoles normales d’instituteurs (ENI) and the family education centers (CEF): October 12 to 14, 2020;

• Secondary school leaving exams: October 19 to 22, 2020.

Minister Cadet stressed that preschools are not affected by these provisions nor schools for the fundamental and secondary levels which have been able to complete their academic course online with all of their students. Exceptionally, these schools will be authorized to restart their courses for the new academic year, starting next September.

The Minister invited parents of the 3rd year (preschool centers) to contact the management of these establishments in order to ensure follow-up procedures for the transition to the other level of their children.

With regard to the schools which have taught online and which have not been able to reach all their pupils due to certain constraints, Cadet invites them to take the measures in order to also open their doors in order to supervise the pupils who have had failures to avoid avoiding penalizing students who have had problems with continuing online learning activities.

The Minister also recommends that remedial courses be organized for students going to state exams to give more opportunities for the success of these students.

In addition, regarding the resumption of school activities, the Cadet Minister mentioned the health protocol that schools must respect in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

According to him, "we will have to live with the disease", but we can mitigate the effects by continuing to apply the barrier gestures, from entry to exit from school. Hand washing and wearing a mask will be compulsory in schools. As well as respecting the physical distance of at least 1 m inside the school, for students and teaching and administrative staff.

Regarding overcrowded classrooms, Cadet recommends a rotation in the operation of the public or non-public schools concerned with work periods of three to four days including weekends and alternating small groups to respect physical distance.

HL/ HaitiLibre