A study has showed the majority of parents are not prepared to send their children back to school before the summer and schools will remain closed until September.
Fears of coronavirus means that less than 10% of children would return back to full time education if schools were to reopen in Northern Ireland, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
It is thought that schools across England, Wales and Scotland may follow. Over 190,000 people have signed a petition set up by the National Education Union asking the government not to reopen them.
Parents are wanting the government to commit to testing and tracing before they are prepared to send their children back to school.
The general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) Dr Patrick Roach, said staff concerns must be “fully addressed” before teachers will go back to work.
Dr Roach said in a letter to Gavin Williams the Education Secretary demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) for teaching staff with anti-viral cleaning measures.
Dr Roach also asked how social distancing measures would be implemented within schools.
There have been indications that schools in parts of the UK could reopen as early as May or June.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said schools could reopen with smaller class sizes and pupils could attend classes on alternative days.
Classrooms in Scotland could also be redesigned to enforce social distancing.
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