The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has set higher standards for schools to ensure they meet the requirements of COVID-19 prevention.

Safe distance is kept among students in a class in Long An province.(Photo: VNA)

The set of criteria was made after consulting with United National International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and experts from the Ministry of Health.

Accordingly, students will return to schools only when they fulfil more than seven criteria, including preparing necessary facilities, namely thermometers to check temperatures, soap or sanitiser.  

Under the set of criteria which was issued by the MoET this week, schools must set plans that are relevant to their condition and location.

Schools should organise training or dissemination on preventive measures and are required to strictly follow them.

Before class, both students and teachers will have their temperature checked and have to wear face masks and keep a safe distance from each other in class.

Classes, learning equipment and vehicles should be cleaned as recommended by the health sector.

The schools must co-operate with local authorities and students’ families to ensure safe distance when students were taken to school and picked up later.

The schools will be recognised as meeting the standard when it fulfils 8-11 criteria and they will be ranked good when meeting more than 11 criteria.

Those that only meet seven criteria or lower will be considered as unsafe and won’t be permitted to reopen.

The MoET asked the departments of education and training to evaluate the safety of schools before resuming classes.

As many as 61 provinces and cities across the country have announced plans to reopen schools by the end of this month or next month.

More than 22 millions students around the country have had a long break since early February due to COVID-19. The students will finish the 2019-2020 academic year by July 15, a month and a half later than normally.