Schools to remain closed until April 20

The closure of all schools this week as part of Government's covid19 prevention measures has been extended to April 20, and the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination may be postponed, announced the Prime Minister.

At Monday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, he said with the closure – extended to the start of the new school term, all available opportunities for home schooling, online learning and training should continue. He also said parents should help children with their school work.

Asked about possibly postponing the SEA exam, Dr Rowley said the education committee – one of three inter-ministerial committees set up to look at covid19 policies, will be looking at the issue, and by Wednesday that will be determined.

"Because exams are an offshoot of going to school. The exams are part of the school operations. So if we've shut down the school operations it may be that we can make alternative arrangements. But I don't want to answer to that just yet. Let us see what's the best option available to us after those who are involved tell us what the best advice is, given the fact that we are now in it (with the virus in TT) as against thinking about it six months ago."

He also criticised private schools that plan to continue having classes this week.

"I have heard that that there are some private schools who believe they are beyond these guidelines and instructions and may want to carry out their school programme. I am here appealing to such persons to join the national effort and close their operations. Because this is not about your school and your ability to be better and do better than the rest of us. It's about not having gatherings. It doesn't matter how prominent your school is, the virus does not respect you because your school is your school. We don't want gatherings because it is in those gatherings the potential would exist for the virus to leap from one person to another and bring the whole country to a place where we could find ourselves, like some other countries right now, where the level of infection is such that it overwhelms the health system."