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Kenneth George-Dill 25 January 2022

“Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that students will soon return to face-to-face learning; however it will be done using a phased approach.

He  made the announcement during his weekly one-on-one Anou Pale’ talk show on Sunday night.

Following a surge in Covid-19 cases in 2020, the Ministry of Education had taken a decision to revert to the online platform to safeguard students and educators at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

“The Ministry of Education has untaken extensive work in considering the school context as it relates to population, classroom size and recreation space,” he said. “Based on this careful assessment, we are confident that we can soon move safely to face-to-face instructions using a phased approach.”

He continued, “Cabinet this coming week will give consideration to a set of guidelines for a blended approach to instruction which will take effect within the coming weeks.”

According to the Prime Minister, schools will accommodate students by grade levels based on the overall population size while adhering to the recommended social distancing requirements.

“The protocols and guidelines will be made available to the public and an announcement of a confirmed date for the resumption of face-to-face classes on a phase basis will be made shortly,” he stated.

He added that these protocols will also allow the government to assess and evaluate the implementation in order to make a determination for the total return of face-to-face learning.

Skerrit commended the officials of the Ministry of Education and the Minister for their hard work and for their efforts over the past 2 years which he said guaranteed the continued learning of children online and in person”.