Minister for Education Joe McHugh has told pupils to take their books and learning materials home from school this evening and prepare to continue their studies online.
With schools to close until 29th March, the Donegal Minister is advising all schools to continue to plan lessons and deliver classes through online resources. Teachers have also been asked to prioritise supporting exam classes to continue to prepare for State examinations.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar issued an order today to close all schools, pre-schools and further and higher education settings in Ireland from 6pm today (Thursday) as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Speaking following the announcement Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD said: “I am deeply conscious of the impact that school and education setting closures have on students, on families and on the wider community. This is a necessary and proportionate measure that we are taking as a pro-active measure to help contain the threat of Covid-19.
“This is the right decision at the right time. It is taken in the best interests of our children, our young people, our school and college communities and our wider society.
“At this point in time the closure is planned for two weeks, from tomorrow until 29 March. The Government, in conjunction with the public health authorities, will keep the situation under ongoing review. Any change to that date will be communicated widely.
“Pupils should take their books and learning materials home with them this evening.
“This is a very challenging time for our pupils, our teachers, our students and our colleagues in further and higher education.”
The Minister continued: “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine – we all live in one another’s shadow. If there was ever a time for us to appreciate how closely we are connected, how much what we do matters to others, how much we rely on each other, this is it. This is a time where we all need to work together for the best possible outcome for our students. The support of everyone across the sector is vital, as we all strive to ensure that this threat is dealt with as effectively as possible.”
The Department of Education is advising all pupils and students, from pre-school to third level to practice social distancing, and to minimise physical contact with each other, to help avoid the spread of Covid-19. This should include minimising social contact, avoiding meeting up and keeping physical space between them. Parents and guardians are urged to support their children to maintain this approach.
In order to minimise the impact on teaching and learning, all schools will be asked to continue to plan lessons and, where possible, provide online resources for students or online lessons where schools are equipped to do so. Schools are asked to be conscious of students that may not have access to online facilities and to consider this actively in their response.
Schools are asked to prioritise supporting exam classes to continue to prepare for State examinations.
Physical classes in universities and higher education facilities will not be held during the closure. Institutions can make other arrangements for teaching and learning and other activities in line with their business continuity plans and contingency planning.
The Department of Education and Skills will remain open and will continue to provide supports to the education sector at this time.
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