Basic education schools in Arakan State and across most of the country, which were closed for more than three months due to the third wave of Covid-19, reopened on November 1 in accordance with virus-related regulations.

“All schools in Sittwe reopened today,” said U Kyaw Hlaing, assistant director of the Arakan State Education Office. “We also instructed school officials to open the schools in accordance with the Covid-19 rules. More than 70% of the Covid-19 vaccination of students in Sittwe has been completed.”

Private and monastic education schools in Sittwe Township have also been instructed to reopen in accordance with virus-related regulations issued by the Ministry of Health.

Some schools have been limited to about 20 people per classroom in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines, he added.

“Students are instructed to sit four or six feet apart, and to wash their hands and apply hand sanitiser before entering the school. Schools with large numbers of students have plans to attend in batches,” U Kyaw Hlaing explained.

With only four months left in the academic year, the Department of Basic Education will soon deliver instructions on adjustments to curricula.

Up to 100% of students returned when schools reopened in Mrauk-U, Arakan State, on November 1, according to schoolteachers.

Fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State since 2019 forced students from some townships to flee the conflict, disrupting their schooling.

In 2020, schools across Myanmar were closed for much of the year due to the pandemic.