Students wearing face masks follow social distancing rules as they sit in a classroom at a high school which has reopened amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Yangon, Myanmar, July 21, 2020. Myanmar reopened over half of high schools on Tuesday after nearly two-month suspension due to the outbreak of COVID-19, an education official told Xinhua. Myanmar's academic year usually starts in June, but this year's term was delayed due to the pandemic in the country. (Xinhua/U Aung)
YANGON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar reopened over half of high schools on Tuesday after nearly two-month suspension due to the outbreak of COVID-19, an education official told Xinhua.
Myanmar's academic year usually starts in June, but this year's term was delayed due to the pandemic in the country.
Of 5,830 high schools which went under inspection by the respective authorities, a total of 3,772 high schools reopened as the first phase of reopening schools, said U Ko Lay Win, director-general of Basic Education Department under the Education Ministry.
Under new normal ways, the schools reopened with preventive measures such as socially distanced classrooms, multiple-shift systems and others.
There are a total of 1.2 million high school students across the country, the education official said.
There may be more or less inconvenience for students in class as the current situation is not the same as before, a teacher from a high school in Yangon told Xinhua.
As of Tuesday morning, Myanmar has reported 341 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with six deaths, according to latest figures from the Health and Sports Ministry.
