Masks, social distancing will be mandatory as schools reopen.
The Ministry of Education has released a nationwide ‘back to school’ transport schedule for boarding students which will guide them on how and when to travel their respective schools safely.
According to the ‘back to school’ transport schedule for boarding students, students from Muhanga, Huye, Gisagara, Southern province districts, Karongi and Rutsiro, western province districts and Nyarugenge, Kicukiro and Gasabo in Kigali city will kick off the journey on 29th October 2020.
Boarding students from Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, Southern province-based districts, Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts in the Western Province will follow suit on 30th October 2020.
On the last day of the month, that is to say on 31st October 2020, boarding students from Kamonyi, Nyanza, and Ruhango districts in the Southern province, Ngororero, Nyabihu, and Rubavu in the western province will also travel back to their schools.
On Sunday, 1st November 2020, boarding students from the Northern and Eastern provinces will also travel back to schools.
From 29th October to 1st November 2020, upper primary from primary five to primary six, secondary school candidate classes from senior three and six, TVET schools from level three to level five, and TTCs students from year one to year three will only be the first to return to schools and will start studies on 2nd November 2020.
In the second phase of transporting boarding students, primary four, secondary students from senior one, two, and four will start traveling on 20th November and start studies on 23rd November 2020.
Boarding students from Huye, Gisagara, Nyaruguru, and Nyamagabe districts in Southern province, Karongi, Rutsiro, Rusizi and Nyamasheke, western province and Kigali city-based students in districts of Nyarugenge, Gasabo, and Kicukiro will travel back to schools on 20th November 2020.
The following day, on 21st November 2020, boarding students from Muhanga, Kamonyi, Ruhango and Nyanza, southern province and Ngororero, Rubavu and Nyabihu districts, in the western province will travel back to their respective schools.
On Sunday, 22nd November 2020, boarding students from the Northern and Eastern province will also go back to their schools ready to kickoff studies on 23rd, November 2020.
“Parents are required to respect this transport schedule by sending boarding students to school on time for them to arrive at their schools not later than 5pm while wearing their uniforms. Parents are also required to give their children enough transport fees that will facilitate them until they reach their schools,” The communiqué released by the ministry of education on 21st October 2020 reads.
“Education officials at district and sector levels are responsible for supervising bus parks as students travel back to their respective schools and the way they are received by their schools. All students are required to respect all the Covid-19 preventive measures while traveling and at school,”
School reopening will be gradual and in adherence to COVID-19 measures.
The communiqué also says that “To ease transports for students, All boarding students traveling back to their schools from Kigali city to schools located in upcountry or students passing via Kigali from other provinces will get buses at Amahoro National Stadium.”
Schools and education institutions will reopen again after their closure in March this year, following the New Coronavirus outbreak, which put everything on hold as countries around the world battled to stop the spread of the virus.
According to the academic calendar for 2020/2021, lower primary from primary one to primary three and nursery will have to wait a bit longer. The Ministry said students in those classes will continue to study remotely and online.
