ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Region’s policy of keeping most students out of school in efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, while restaurants, cafes and other public spaces have been reopened runs contrary to health recommendations, according to UNICEF Iraq’s spokesperson. “Within the context of Iraq and globally, we at UNICEF follow WHO guidance and according to the guidance there isn't any further evidence that transmission is any higher within the context of children going back to school,” Zeina Awad told Rudaw’s Hawar Jalaladin on Tuesday, referring to the World Health Organization (WHO). “The wider question is do we open public spaces or not? At the moment in the Kurdish region cafes and restaurants are open, but schools are closed. And that does not make any sense,” said Awad, arguing that the impact of school closures on children in Iraq could potentially have “devastating effects.” Kurdistan Region students in the 12th grade returned to physical classes last month after months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) official line is that schools will reopen for other grades on March 1, there have been statements by officials that suggest they may open schools weeks earlier. According to the UNICEF spokesperson, schools in Iraq can reopen if they follow UNICEF's safe schools declaration, which calls for maintaining social distancing, and systematized disinfection measures. “If schools cannot open we must do everything we can to make sure every child can learn,” added Awad, suggesting a number of alternative education measures. SEE MORE: Virtual learning, a struggle for many in the Kurdistan Region UNICEF says that children being out of school has more effects than just on their education. “A lot of children as we are hearing, not only anecdotally in the Kurdish region of Iraq and in Iraq, but in the region, more and more children are being exposed to abuse and violence by being confined inside of their homes,” added Awad. The Kurdistan Region’s education minister Alan Hamasaid told journalists on Monday that they were strategizing on how to safely reopen schools to all students. "We cannot return 1.8 million students to schools as before, so we have to find a new mechanism [reopen schools] and implement health instructions," he said However, he noted that the current health conditions are "suitable" for the reopening of schools. Deputy health minister Dr. Rahel Faraydun told Rudaw's Rozhan Abubakir on Tuesday that "the reopening of schools is important and sensitive," adding that "now is a very suitable time for the reopening of schools." He noted that the number of students in a class would need to be slashed in half. Schools were first closed in late February 2020, before coronavirus cases had been recorded in Iraq. They were reopened in mid-September for grade 12 students, and in October for students in grades one and two. The cell decided to close schools again on November 1, due to a spike in cases of the virus. The closure was extended to January 7 by the crisis cell at the beginning of December. As of Tuesday, the Kurdistan Region has recorded 106,239 coronavirus cases, including 99,608 recoveries and 3,474 deaths, since the start of the pandemic, according to the KRG health ministry.
