Students enter a school in Dublin, Ireland, on March 1, 2021. Primary and secondary schools in Ireland on Monday reopened as scheduled under a phased plan previously announced by the government. (Xinhua)

　　DUBLIN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Primary and secondary schools in Ireland on Monday reopened as scheduled under a phased plan previously announced by the government.

　　Under the plan, all the primary school students up to 2nd class and Leaving Certificate students or the students in their last year of secondary school education can return to classrooms starting from March 1.

　　The remaining students of primary schools and the fifth-year students of secondary schools will resume in-school education on March 15, followed by the reopening of all the secondary school classes on April 12.

　　Announcing the plan last week, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said that the government will closely monitor the reopening of the schools in the country to ensure a safe return of in-school education.

　　Over 320,000 primary and secondary schools on Monday returned to classrooms for the first time since the closure of schools in Ireland last December following the outbreak of the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the country, reported Irish national radio and television broadcaster RTE.

　　Primary and secondary school students had missed a total of 33 days of in-classroom education since then, according to the report.

　　While the government's plan for the phased reopening of schools is largely welcomed by students, parents and teachers, some express concerns over possible outbreaks of infections in school settings.

　　Statistics from Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Center showed that over the past two weeks to Feb. 27, a total of 1,403 children aged 12 years and younger in Ireland had been infected with COVID-19. Enditem