The Education Ministry has announced that schools of all levels will be reopened from November 1 with health precautions remaining in place, expanding on the reopening of high schools last month.
According to a ministry announcement on Thursday night, the move extends the previous reopening of grades nine through 12, and applies to primary schools and universities as well as other institutions such as technical schools, teacher training and special education.
Class sizes will be limited to 15 to 20 students, it added.
The ministry said the transmission of Covid-19 among teachers and students after the reopening of high schools — in the week before and after the Pchum Ben — was small and manageable. Parents, teachers and students had also reached a high level of vaccination, it added.
At high schools that have already reopened, teachers have spoken of improved learning in physical classrooms.
Kong Socheata, a grade 12 teacher at Chea Sim Chom Roeun Roth High School in Phnom Penh, said earlier this month that having her students in the room made it easier for her to teach.
“There’s no hassle while explaining,” she said. “When I see students’ expressions, it lets me know who is paying attention to me.”
There would be some catching up to do for students who had fallen behind, Socheata added.
“To get better results like before, we need time,” she said, but added that good students were already doing fine. “For hard-working students, they still get good results whether in class or online.”
(Translated and edited from the original article on VOD Khmer)
