Amcaoğlu says Covid-19 protocols in place
Date Added: 17 September 2021

The Minister of National Education and Culture Olgun Amcaoğlu said on Friday that the infection-contact protocol for Covid-19 was being implemented at schools which resumed in-class education at the start of the week.

Speaking on BRT, Amcaoğlu highlighted the importance of face-to-face education at schools.

Providing information about the Covid-19 protocol in place at schools, the TRNC education minister said that the protocol had been prepared in collaboration with the education and health trade unions.

He said that they had opted for rotational teaching after meeting with the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS) because there were too many students in 18 different schools.

Amcaoğlu reassured the public that the education ministry will make up for the hours children will be missing out on.

Pointing out that there was a general consensus amongst everyone that schools should be the last place to shut down, the education minister criticized the Cyprus Turkish Secondary School Teachers’ Union (KTÖEÖS)for trying to create a negative perception and insisting that schools should be shut.

Amcaoğlu also said that a new shipment of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines had arrived from Turkey and that the process to vaccinate children above the age of 12 will continue.

The education minister said that the current target was to continue with rotational teaching until the semester break in February by then which a new wave of infections was expected.

He added that the ministry had a contingency plan and would be assessing different options when the time came.

Regarding higher education, Amcaoğlu said that necessary measures were already in place at dormitories.

He added that 96 per cent of teachers had been vaccinated and that the remaining teachers were receiving their jabs.

Pointing out that more students will be arriving in the country this year; Amcaoğlu said that preparations were underway to administer 40,000 AstraZeneca and 150,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines to arriving students.

He also said that all preparations had been made at schools to switch to online and hybrid teaching if the need emerged.