Deputy Minister of Education Ahmed Mujaahid, on Monday, confirmed that 80 percent of students attended school during the first week of the academic year.
The ministry found the number satisfactory, considering the ongoing pandemic, and the fact that students did not attend school for the most part of 2020 as a precautionary measure taken to curb the spread of the virus.
"The attendance proves that parents and students trust the schools", Mujaahid said.
Since the closure of schools on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Maldives, students from grade six and below did not attend school in the capital region throughout last year. School resumed on July 1, 2020, for regions outside Male' area, and continued sessions for students from grades one to twelve till the semester ended on December 3.
With the new academic year, schools were reopened on January 10, 2021, in line with the Health Protection Agency (HPA)'s guidelines to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
However, since the beginning of last week, teachers and students from four schools of the capital area have tested positive for the virus.
Despite the positive cases, the Education Ministry stressed that schools were a safe environment with strict precautionary measures in place, and noted that the fact that no clusters have been identified in any schools was proof of this.
Teachers and students are only allowed inside schools after checking their temperature and sanitising their hands. Social distancing is implemented in classrooms, and masks are mandatory throughout the school session.
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