Ministry of Education has decided to resume school sessions for grades 7 and 8 in the Greater Male’ Region this month.
The education ministry said the decision to commence school sessions for grades 7 and 8 was taken following extensive deliberations with Health Protection Agency (HPA). As such, the ministry announced school sessions would resume on October 19 for Grade 8 and October 25 for Grade 7 students in the Greater Male’ Region. The ministry revealed classes for lower grades will continue to be conducted online.
On July 1, the administration decided to reopen schools in islands without active COVID-19 cases after keeping it closed for over three months. Students of Grades 9 to 12 in Male' City also commenced studies on July 1 and the administration planned to resume classes for grades 7 to 8 by mid-August. However, due to the increase in COVID-19 cases, the education ministry closed the schools in the Greater Male’ Region again.
In September, the education ministry permitted students of grades 11 and 12 to physically attend the classes to prepare for their final examinations which begin in October. Meanwhile, school sessions for grades 9 and 10 resumed on October 4.
Schools for the higher grades have been reopened with extensive safety measures in place to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. In this regard, the number of students in a single classroom have been reduced to ensure social distancing, while handwashing and health assessments have been included as a mandatory part of the school sessions. School sessions have also been shortened to 4 hours, with 45 minutes allocated for each subject period.