The ongoing interim school holiday, which was due to come to an end this Monday (20), has been extended by another week.

The Ministry of Education, in a media release, said the decision was reached taking into account the health security of the school children.

Accordingly, schools will be reopened on the 27th of July, however, only for the students in Grade 11, 12 and 13.

Several rounds of discussions have taken place between the authorities of education and health ministries to discuss the matter.

During these meetings, Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe had been of the view that Sri Lanka, at the moment, is not exposed to social transmission of Covid-19 virus.

He has also suggested that it is suitable to reopen schools for students of other grades after the 10th of August.

However, none of the schools in Rajanganaya and Welikanda educational divisions will be reopened before the 10th of August, the Education Ministry added.

More than 200 teachers and school children of 05 districts are currently under quarantine, and the results of their PCR tests are to be received within the next few days. Meanwhile, three students have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the release read further.

Taking all these facts into consideration, the Education Ministry has decided to extend the ongoing interim school holiday.

In the meantime, the new dates for the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam and G.C.E. Advanced Level Exam will be announced on the 20th of July, the Education Ministry stated.