In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, schools were closed as from 19 March 2020 and reopened on 01 July 2020 after the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology had worked out a general preparedness plan in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, for the re-opening of all schools and for cleaning of the departments of the Ministry.
This statement was made, yesterday, by the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, in reply to a Parliamentary Question pertaining to the sanitary protocols established amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 for the re-opening of schools.
The VPM pointed out that a series of actions were taken by the Ministry to ensure a safe and secure environment, notably: sensitisation of all sanitary precautions to be adopted by the student community and the school personnel; distribution of flyers as well as posters on precautionary measures against COVID-19 in all educational institutions; temperature checks upon the arrival at schools; mandatory use of face masks by students and personnel; frequent cleaning and disinfection of the classrooms to ensure that adequate health and sanitary measures are taken throughout the academic year. Furthermore, Rapid PCR testing was carried out for all teachers and non-teaching staff to ensure health and safety of all students upon resumption.
A series of sensitisation workshops was also held, in collaboration of the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, with members of the school Health Clubs on infection, prevention and control of COVID-19, she underscored.
As regards cleaning up of all Government and Aided Primary schools and State Secondary Schools on a one-off basis by the Ministry, Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun indicated that a procurement exercise was launched and bids were invited from registered contractors for cleaning and disinfection.
In this context, contracts were awarded to two service providers. The Rolington Co Ltd was allocated the cleaning and disinfection of 105 schools in Zone 1 for a sum of Rs 1 million and of 92 schools in Zone 2 for a sum of around Rs 1.2 million. The second contractor, notably the ELM Services Ltd, was allocated the cleaning and disinfection of 73 schools in Zone 3 for a sum of approximately Rs 1.8 million and that of 56 schools in Zone 4 for a sum of around Rs 1.6 million, she added.
The VPM highlighted that the contract included transport, disinfection of all furniture, doors and windows of classrooms, offices, staircases, corridors, and toilets in all the schools and included the warehouse of the Ministry as well.
In addition, she underpinned that the Ministry has an ongoing contract with Mauri-Facilities Management Co Ltd, a government owned company under the aegis of Landscope Mauritius, which engages in the daily cleaning of all the primary and secondary schools. Cleaning and disinfection are also carried out by the general workers of office subsidiaries, she pointed out.
The Education Minister stated that following the second wave of COVID-19 this year, schools were closed as from 10 March 2021 and the cleaning and disinfection of schools during the period of examinations have been done as per the recent guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Wellness by Mauri-Facilities Management Co Ltd and the personnel of the ministry.