The Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE) is concerned over discrepancies in compliance with guidelines by re-opened schools amid increasing cases of COVID-19 in Liberia. It can be recalled that the Ministry of Education (MoE) on June 19th released “Guidelines for Safe School Environments in the Corona Virus (COVID-19) Outbreak in Liberia” to guide the re-opening of schools in Liberia, and to be observed by school administrators, teachers, students, staff etc.. According to the Ministry, the guidelines are intended to ensure safe school environments in the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Liberia as it defines the minimum requirements that must be in place in every school (Public and Private) to ensure that, from a health, water, sanitation and hygiene point of view, the school is a safe place for all students and school personnel. The guidelines cover hand washing facilities, Water sanitation and hygiene, general health, cleaning and eating and drinking practices. While COTAE applauds the government for its continuous effort in the fight, we seize this opportunity to re-emphasize the importance of having schools as safe places during this pandemic.
Between July 1-3, 2020, COTAE embarked on monitoring of schools within Montserrado to gauge compliance with guidelines issued by MoE. Our team of data collectors visited thirty-nine (39) schools in Gardnersville, Du-port Road, Old Road, Brewerville, Sinkor, Duala, etc. using a checklist approved by the MoE for data collection. Data gathered reveals that while there are substantial efforts being applied by both schools’ administrators and students to adhere to the guidelines, there are still gaps that need to be addressed. We note that all schools visited have hand washing stations installed at their entrances. However, discrepancies exist regarding classroom spacing, masks wearing, handwashing at bathrooms, and referral systems. 72% of schools surveyed were compliant with wearing of nose masks, while 28% were not. 33.3% of schools did not observe one-meter spacing in classrooms, while 64% of schools had at least two thermoflashes. Also, only 54% of schools surveyed had a functioning hand washing station at their bathrooms. As for referral system, only 46% of schools surveyed had agreed a system of referral with the County Health Team for likely cases of COVID-19.
From the above excerpt of data collected, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure compliance with safety guidelines. COTAE therefore calls on government, through the Ministry of Education, to ensure that all health protocols are fully adhered to by all schools through a rigorous supervision process. The roles of school administrations, Parent-Teachers Associations, and civil society organizations are also significant in this regard and we call on these stakeholders to join efforts to keep learning spaces safe. This will ensure that a concerted effort is being made to protect students and school administrators in their return to the classroom. Given the spike in confirmed cases to Nine hundred and Twenty-Six (926) and a death toll of forty-one (41), the importance of instituting and supervising safety measures for students and administrators against this deadly disease cannot be overly emphasized.
We are also encouraging heads of academic institutions to ensure they put into place monitoring mechanisms on students aimed at ensuring they conform to the prescribed health protocols. Students also have a role to play in ensuring that they keep safe and compliant with the guidelines. We remain optimistic that this call will be heeded by all concerned as we fight COVID-19 in Liberia.
Thank you!
Signed:
Management