Viti Levu schools to remain closed while Northern and Eastern schools to open today

Schools in Viti Levu will remain closed while schools in the Northern and Eastern divisions including all maritime schools, are open today.

Permanent Secretary for Education, Selina Kuruleca says they are concerned about the safety and accessibility of students who have to travel from outside the towns where schools are located.

She says these students have to cross streams and roads which could be dangerous, especially in the heavy rain that they have been experiencing recently, and therefore, to ensure their safety, the Ministry has decided to keep schools in Viti Levu closed until further notice.

Kuruleca says all schools outside Viti Levu will be open tomorrow.

The Permanent Secretary further adds that boarding schools with boarders onsite may continue with their instructional programs.

Kuruleca says parents must exercise discretion and Heads of Schools should remain in contact with their School Management Committees, District, and Divisional Officers for updates.

She says a circular detailing contingency plans to recover lost learning and teaching time will be disseminated to schools in the next few days.

She also says they recognize that schools may prefer to use different modalities to recover the lost learning and teaching time, so they will provide a few options to them.

She adds they will not cut into the school term holidays.

The Permanent Secretary says tertiary institutions are advised to use their discretion regarding their class offerings.