Schools unprepared for face-to-face classes in first week

The return of face-to-face classes in all pre-primary, primary and secondary schools during a pandemic will differ right across Jamaica as not all schools are fully prepared. 

Dave Myrie, principal of Kingston College, reported that for this first week of school only the fifth and sixth formers were back. Orientations for first, second and third formers were scheduled for the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Myrie said they were having a phased resumption of classes in which each grade level would have a day before bringing back the students all at once or on a rotation basis. For this first week, all first to third form students remained online.

Termario Daniels, teacher at the Lennon High School in Clarendon said the turnout of students was pretty much the same as a turn out before the pandemic, “Students were more receptive to face-to-face than online classes.” Daniels said it was, “Because of the dire need to go back to school after an absence of two years they are more eager to come“.

Daniels saw a higher turnout of first to third form (lower school) students than fourth and fifth form (upper school) students. For the first two days (Monday and Tuesday) of the resumption of school all students remained online, but on Wednesday every student was expected to come in for face-to-face classes.

“Most parents were blindsided by the fact that school has just started after the correspondence from the ministry (Ministry of Education, Youth and Information),’ said Daniels. “Some of these parents have not even had uniform, some students have in braids or some were just not financially able to come to school on an everyday basis,” continued Daniels. He said, “I had a parent call me to say that the child will not be at school because she does not have any money and she is not going to get any money until the end of the month, as such the child has to stay home.”

Daniels said all teachers were mandated to be at school, however. He estimated that only half of about 60 teachers were vaccinated. In terms of maintaining physical distancing only 15 students were allowed per class and desk and chairs were placed six feet apart. Wherever a class had up to 30 students, they were divided in half and placed in another classroom. 

Students were provided with sanitizers and sanitizers were placed on the walls of some classrooms, temperature checks and sanitizing is done at the gate of schools. All teachers and students are expected to keep on their masks. Lennon High has a supervised ventilation area where students and teachers can take off their masks for a couple of minutes. “I think we are adapting to the protocols; lower school students are a little more active than the upper school students,” said Daniels.

Davia Ellis, teacher at the St Mary High School, said face-to-face classes would not begin until the week of 9 January. For now the school is making preparations for the resumption of classes.

Shanecka Thompson, fifth form student at the Garvey Maceo High School said there were only 100 upper school students at school. Students have to be called by teachers to attend school. Thompson said that only 10 students were allowed per class, however if there were 40 students in a class it was held in the school’s lecture theatre, or outside on the corridor.

Anneisha Thompson, sixth form student at the Christiana High School, stated that only fifth and sixth form students were allowed at school. Sanitizing is done at the gate, at the cafeteria and upon entry to each classroom. For now, lower school and fourth form students are doing their examinations.