Guidelines for the Reopening of Schools - “The New Normal” for Term II January 2021 (To be used in collaboration with the MOH Guidelines)

Date

2021

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

School Supervision and Management Division, Ministry of Education, Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

The COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) has created a ‘New Normal’ to which schools must conform. As schools across the globe gradually reopen, the practices to conform to the ‘New Normal’ are varied based on the dynamics that exist in various countries. In the Trinidad and Tobago context, the UNESCO Framework for Reopening Schools April 2020, the Ministry of Health’s Reopening Guidelines for Businesses, Facilities and Institutions (May 2020) and Operating Schools During Covid-19: Centre for Disease Control (CDC) School Considerations (December 2020) were used to develop these guidelines. These guidelines will be used in collaboration with the Ministry of Health’s Reopening Guidelines for Schools. The Trinidad and Tobago approach remains student centred and seeks to ensure that learners continue to have equitable access to quality education. As such, a multi-pronged intervention involving Divisions and Units of the Ministry of Education as well as other Ministries and major stakeholders has been employed. Term I, the longest term of the academic year, was based on remote teaching and learning, which will in turn impact the delivery of the curriculum for the rest of the academic year. In Term II, 2020/2021 there will be a shift from remote teaching and learning to a blended approach to curriculum delivery. The School Supervision and Management Division (SSMD) has adapted the July 2020 version of the Guidelines for the Reopening of Schools, for implementation in Term II 2020/2021. This document forms part of the MOE’s roadmap for the physical reopening of schools to be used by principals and takes into consideration the 6 ft. (head to head) physical distancing enforced by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Description

Table of Contents

Keywords

school guidelines, new normal, COVID-19, pandemic

Citation