Antigen testing for schools could be on the cards, Education Minister confirms

Education Minister Norma Foley said the guidelines offered to schools currently is that windows should be open before class, and at the end of class. File Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Rapid antigen testing could be used in schools if health experts back the idea,  Education Minister Norma Foley has confirmed.

Addressing the matter at the Oireachtas Education Committee, Ms Foley said they would consider it once a report on the matter was completed.

Professor Mark Ferguson of Science Foundation Ireland is currently preparing a report into antigen testing in a number of areas. It is viewed as something which could potentially contribute to the broad reopening of society, but has previously not been considered for use in schools.

"Certainly if it is the recommendation of Nphet that we would utilise antigen testing, of course, we will," the minister said.

Ms Foley said the current mitigation measures in schools have been reviewed by public health experts ahead of pupils returning. She added the guidelines offered to schools currently is that windows should be open before class, and at the end of class.

"There is an advisory expert group looking at areas of ventilation, not just within the school setting, but indeed other settings as well and they are due to make their findings known in the not too distant future," she said.

Hundreds of thousands of pupils are returning to schools this week after weeks of remote learning.

In the coming weeks, those numbers will grow.

"Over the next number of weeks, we hope to see even more students return to schools, including 260,000 primary school students in the more senior classes return on March 15 together with fifth year students at post-primary level," Ms Foley said.

Subject to continued progress in maintaining reduced community transmission levels, the remaining post primary students return on April 12 following the traditional Easter break."

The Minister told the committee that "remote teaching and learning has been much more successful in this occasion than in previous occasions," due to preparatory work done by teachers.

Research carried out by inspectors on how exactly schools have operated and students' experience of being out of the classroom and their engagement with school is expected into in "the near future".

Concerns have been raised over the fact that some special needs students will not be returning to school for almost another six weeks.

Sinn Féin's Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire told the Education Committee that parents of children with special education needs "feel like they've been forgotten" by the Department of Education.

Children with additional needs in the mainstream have been forgotten once again. Remote learning is unsuitable in many instances. They need in-school tuition, but many will not return to classrooms for another 5 or 6 weeks. Children with additional needs should be first priority. pic.twitter.com/LEdO56JKJO

— Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (@Donnchadhol) March 2, 2021

The Cork South Central TD added that special needs students did not appear to be a priority for the Government, despite the Department of Education's repeated assertions to the contrary.

Mr Ó Laoghaire said: "From what's happening, for those children, they don't seem to be a priority.

There doesn't seem to be any mention of a priority for children with additional needs in secondary schools.

"Do you think it will be right that a student in first year or second year with additional needs will have to wait until April 12, almost six weeks away, until they can get back into the classroom?

"Surely there must be some way to get them in school support in advance of that."