Mango students return to school

With the pandemic now more than two years old, the mood at Mango Tree House has shifted from gloom to elation. On August 22, 2022, Filipino students will return to traditional classroom settings after nearly three years of online learning.

While anticipation grows for the resumption of in-person lessons, there is also undeniable apprehension due to the continued presence of the Covid-19 virus and its associated high caseload.

We want the first day of school to be exciting and safe for the Mango students, their new classmates, and the Mango  teachers and staff.

Each and every Mango child in our care who is five years old or older has      received a full course of Covid-19 vaccinations. All children over the age of 12 have already been given their booster shots. In addition to their three healthy meals per day, they supplement this with at least 500 milligrams of Vitamin C with zinc.

The students will continue to take precautions against the virus          including regular hand washing with soap and water or disinfecting with 70% alcohol. We stress the importance of always wearing masks correctly, but especially in crowded areas like classrooms. Because we don’t know how the Department of Education  intends to guarantee adequate ventilation and social distancing in classrooms, we’d like to err on the side of caution and have everyone wear masks and keep their distance from one and another.

In addition to making sure they’re healthy, students are busy signing up for classes, getting their hair cut to comply with school regulations, trying on their uniforms, and making any necessary repairs or alterations before the first day of school. New uniforms were purchased for those who had significantly outgrown their old ones due to height or weight gains.

They are also keeping themselves busy by covering their books and notebooks in plastic. In Mango, the older students always go above and beyond to assist the younger ones in wrapping their books and notebooks and labelling supplies.

 

Donated backpacks and a few other school items from the previous two years will come in handy this time around. Mango could have saved money on these necessities, but they’ve skyrocketed in price along with everything else associated with going back to school. And yet, we make do with what we have and cut corners wherever we can.

We are relieved that classes can resume. As a result, we will be levelling the playing field between the disadvantaged and the favoured few. If without reliable options for distance education, more students will drop out of school. The reopening of schools will help equalize the playing field and ensure the most vulnerable children have a brighter future.

Alpha Mae Emata

Communications Officer ASCF