Yallahs anticipates face-to-face resumption of classes
Published:Tuesday | November 3, 2020 | 12:13 AMPaul Clarke/Gleaner Writer
Fatigued by Internet connectivity issues to access lessons online, residents in and around Yallahs in St Thomas are breathing a sigh of relief at the inclusion of their high school among 17 institutions for a reopening pilot starting November 9.
They acknowledge, however, that the success of the initiative will hinge on how school officials manage the resumption of face-to-face classes and how students behave in the new social construct.
Fifty-eight-year-old Bertrand Nembhard, who has two sons, one registered to attend Yallahs High School, told The Gleaner that sending him back to school for face-to-face classes is ideal despite the climbing COVID-19 numbers.
“I would support that right now because it is really hard for a student in these parts, who don’t have regular access to Internet to learn anything,” he said. “All they need to do is make sure masks are worn and hands kept clean with the physical distancing in place.”
In a precautionary move, the ministry said it will also be installing a rapid-response team to cauterise spread if coronavirus cases break out among students, faculty and other staff during the two-week pilot.
Nembhard, however, said he is not overly concerned.
“My sons will be all right. They know what to do and what not to do, and I trust them to maintain discipline so as not to be caught up in crowds, especially without masks. I also trust the authorities because I see the work they have done right here in St Thomas with COVID,” he stated.
Director of the Mona Geoinformatics Institute, Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr, noted that geoinformatics and demographic data – including a range of indices such as water supply, transportation distance, and enrolment density – informed the selection of schools.
Variables considered also involved a direct look at the schools and communities in which they are located.
He said that Yallahs High, for example, was broken down in two components – “the physical school itself and the human side of things”.
Explained Lyew-Ayee: “The physical school itself goes through a COVID-compliance inspection by the Ministry of Health & Wellness and it’s either a yes or no, which is determined by the said ministry.”
Enrolment-capacity ratio
In addition, he said schools under the pilot are assessed in terms of enrolment versus capacity ratios.
“It means if you have a school that has space for 1,000 students and it has 2,000 instead, it’s terrible. But on the other hand, if you have space for 1,000 and the enrolment is 500, that’s a whole lot better, meaning we are now able to have the physical-distancing issue sorted out well,” Lyew-Ayee noted.
“It could also mean that with the available space, you can keep first through third form closed and open fifth and sixth form. That’s what the tool helps to figure out,” he said.
Andreen Henry, a mother of two who works at a bar in Whitehorses, St Thomas, said that face-to-face lessons are better as students would be better supervised.
“If the children are properly supervised, then I see no problem with it. With the kids at home, it is stressing real bad because I have to be helping with schoolwork while working otherwise, and not too many parents have good skills in dealing with children’s learning issues,” she said.
“Plus, it is stressing having to buying $700 worth of data every four days, when we already have very limited income. I work in this bar and it’s tough,” Henry added.
It is much the same for Annecia Lawson, who bemoaned that her two children have lost “precious time” due to Internet connectivity issues.
“It will work if the students conduct themselves right by observing closely the principles as laid out because this is just how the world is now. Things have changed massively. Schooling is no different,” Lawson told The Gleaner. “As long as there is someone to make sure all COVID-related protocols are being adhered to, it should be fine.”