Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Fayval Williams, says the Government will continue to facilitate the resumption of face-to-face classes, which began yesterday (January 3), while being guided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“That’s where the expertise lies. They’ve been guiding us through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; and so we look to them from the education sector,” she said.

Mrs. Williams was speaking at a ceremony, today (January 4), for the handover of a cartridge-free printer and reams paper, donated by the Usain Bolt Foundation, to the Rock Hall Primary School in St. Andrew.

The Minister noted that “as our children are back in the face-to-face environment, we collect information from our schools”, adding that “if there are any issues, we let the Ministry of Health and Wellness know.”

“So we stand guided, and I have every confidence in the Ministry as they look at the data, and as they incorporate all that’s happening into their decisions,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, said the Ministry will continue to monitor schools islandwide, while ensuring that all social distancing and health protocols are being enforced.

“I think we’ve gone two years [into the pandemic] and the children need to be in school right now. Personal responsibility is really important at this time, because I think COVID-19 is going to be with us for a very long time. So, we now have to learn to live with this and take care of ourselves until we get back to some sort of normalcy,” she added.

Face-to-face resumption of classes began using a phase-in approach in November 2021.

Thus far, all pre-primary, primary and secondary schools have been allowed to facilitate face-to-face classes for this school term.

The Education Ministry recommends that a blended learning approach, including online classes, audio-visual classes and learning kits, should still be used by schools.