What will it take for schools to reopen safely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic?

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the stalling of virtually all socio-economic activities. One of such stalling has been the closure of schools around the world. Primary schools, high schools and tertiary institutions alike have closed owing to the outbreak of the pandemic. Subsequently, schools have been forced to adopt to the changing tides by adopting online teaching modules including Google Classroom, Zoom meetings, etc. This erratic transition in the educational system has not been entirely smooth, particularly for the populace in developing nations.

As it has been hammered by many leaders around the globe, we are not in ordinary times. Moreover, looking at the unsuccessful attempts in developing a vaccine to provide herd immunity against the COVID-19 virus, then it is imperative that we adjust and learn how to live with the pandemic. This means that we would have to learn how to school even amidst the pandemic. For this reason, this piece explores what it will take for schools to reopen safely even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the quest to come back to a state of normalization in terms of education, it will take robust, high coverage testing in order for schools to reopen safely. Countries would have to ramp up their testing capacity in order for their educational institutions to reopen safely. Students and teachers would have to undergo mandatory testing for the pandemic. All those that test positive would have to be isolated and treated with their respective contacts followed up. By doing this, the country and the entire population can be confident enough in the health system to detect cases among teachers and students as early as possible.

Again, for schools to be able to reopen safely, it is incumbent on the government and school authorities to ensure that the school environment can contain and support social distancing protocols. In areas where classrooms, halls and dormitories are congested, there must be a conscious attempt to drastically reduce the populations therein. By doing that, teachers and students alike can easily practice social distancing protocols while going about their daily living in pursing academic success. It will also be imperative for school facilities like desks, table and chairs to be refined and tailored to support social distancing in order to slow the spread of the virus.

Furtherance to this, there must the availability of personal protective equipment such as face masks, hand sanitizers and hand washing equipment in order for schools to safely open. All students must be provided with at least five face masks to used during school days. Again, schools can fix static hand sanitizers in their classrooms, washrooms and vantage points in order to promote the behaviour of periodic sanitizing of hands. Also, technology in the form of apps can be used to track teachers and students who have tested positive, where they have been to and whether they have come into contact with an infected person.

In a nutshell, governments and educational institutions would have to ramp up testing among teachers and students; ensure that the school environment can contain and support social distancing protocols; provide sufficient PPEs; and, adopt technologies in tracing the epidemiology of the pandemic among students and teachers in order for them to reopen safely. When all of these measures are put in place, schools will be able to reopen safely in order to come to a state of normalization and academic development.