By Martha Taumata Faavae
Police Commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil has confirmed police visits to schools to give timely reminders of social distancing in classrooms for students.
Schools are reportedly not observing the lockdown rules since the easing of restrictions last month in May allowed for classes to re-start under strict control.
“There are schools we have confirmed from police visits not following the rules of social distancing ,” Commissioner Fuiavailili was made aware of.
“Police teams are now dispatched to follow up on the seating arrangements for students in the classes and to impress of the need to maintain 2 meters distancing.”
Police have not file any charges yet of lockdown violations except to warn and remind the schools of their responsibilities.
Classes are being organised for selected days of the week according to the priorities for each year.
The senior classes up to Year 12 and 13 with important end of year exams are granted three days of schooling from Monday to Wednesday.
Classes for Years 2,3,4,6 8 are also timed for the first three school days of the week while the rest hold classes on Thursdays and Fridays.
In some of the schools, social distancing involves splitting up the students in a class to move out to classrooms that are not in use.
Many of the schools have made arrangements to extend classroom hours to catch up with the syllabus, after the delays when the schools were shut down as a health security measure against the coronavirus.
Some of the senior class in most of the college level are now promising to dispense with term holidays and to also hold extra classes over the weekends to make up for lost time.
Schools Certificates, SC, and Secondary Schools Leaving Certificates, SSLC, are the main end of year exams all college students must sit to decide advance levels for the new year.
The SSLC exam determine students who will continue on to the University studies and vocational education at the technical colleges.