There was confusion this week as a number of Fermanagh schools remained close, despite the Department of Education stating that they should open to cater for children of key workers.

A statement from the Fermanagh Primary Schools Principal group said that with the “lack of clarity and without detailed operational plan from the Department of Education we feel we cannot open to provide safe childcare to any keyworkers children until a point in the future when we have had adequate time to risk assess in our schools to ensure we can comply with Public Health Authority guidance relating to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and social distancing”.

However, the Impartial Reporter can reveal that the Education Authority (EA) has communicated with Fermanagh principals that PPE is not a requirement for teachers. Principals have also been told that hand sanitiser in schools is for adult use only.

In an email to school Principals from the Education Authority, seen by this newspaper, principals were told that “there remains a global shortage of hand sanitisers and EA has a limited number of 50ml hand sanitisers which are for adult use only.”

The email went on to say that “teaching staff are not required to wear PPE and should follow good hygiene as outlined by the Public Health Agency. Gloves and aprons are required for cleaning staff.”

A number of schools did open in Fermanagh including Jones Memorial Primary School who said they were continuing “to provide care for children for our Key Workers and vulnerable children each day from 9.00am-3pm”. The school did advise that space was limited due to the need to maintain social distancing.

Reacting to the issue Education Minister, Peter Weir, said his week: “Firstly, I want to thank those schools which are open today and those that intend to open in the future. In these extraordinary times, it is heartening that our principals and staff are showing such leadership and compassion for pupils whose parents are key to the Covid-19 response and to keeping essential services going.

“An early assessment of today’s survey of schools has shown that the number of pupils attending is very small.

“My Department will continue to gather this information and monitor how schools are managing to ensure they remain safe for pupils and staff alike. Within the overall total there may be particular areas of pressure, and we will wish to address those with schools.

Meanwhile a health worker, who contacted this newspaper, and who did not want to be named, urged schools not to waste time: “I urge the leadership of our schools to realise they as public servants are needed in this fight against Covid-19 and they need to act quickly. Do not waste time looking for clarity on key workers. All health and social care workers are key workers. The need for schools to remain open for key worker children was made known before the confirmation came from government that they were to close. Surely leadership considered this in the days they were lobbying for the schools to close.”

Minister Weir explained that he felt parents of children were following advice from the government:

“Schools will remain open for staff to allow them to organise remote learning for their pupils and to make provision for supervised learning for vulnerable children and for key workers’ children up to the end of Year 10. I would again stress that parents and carers should only send their child to school if they are a key worker in terms of the overall response to the Covid-19 emergency and have no other viable option for their child’s supervision. It seems from today’s preliminary figures that parents and carers are doing just that, and I thank them for it.”