Joy all round in Hanover as students throng classrooms
Published:Tuesday | March 8, 2022 | 12:08 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
There were broad smiles and joyful reunions among students and teachers as full-scale engagement of in-person classes resumed islandwide on Monday, with only shift-system schools being allowed another two weeks for complete reopening.
Donna Anderson, principal of Rusea’s High, was scheduled to meet with the school’s board of management Monday afternoon aimed at resolving a few accommodation concerns.
Anderson said that the vast majority of students were compliant with coronavirus health and social-distancing protocols, but the administration pledged to get the entire school population on board.
“We are grateful that we would have prepared for the students, and they came out in their numbers. We are not missing many. However, this morning, we recognised that we needed a few more desks and chairs, so we are trying our best,” said the principal.
“We have been trying to get them to understand the new culture because it is really new for them,” she said, adding that Rusea’s allows intermittent breaks from the wearing of masks.
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had caused the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels of the education system, with hundreds of thousands of students resorting to online learning.
Thousands of students located in remote, hilly areas were hampered by spotty Internet connectivity while others reported that their parents could not afford computers.
Antonette Wright, principal of Esher Primary in Lucea, said in a Gleaner interview that 540, or 90 per cent, of the more than 600 students turned up for classes on Monday.
Overcrowding, however, is a constant concern, she said.
“The only issue we have is that one of our grades has an overcrowding issue, so we are going to seek to have some alternative solutions and we are going to be having dialogue with the Ministry of Education to see how we can move forward in that regard,” she stated, adding that her institution has adequate furniture, but inadequate classroom space.
“The children are overjoyed and excited to be here and to see each other. They are happy to be back in a full classroom,” Wright said.
Jasmin Johnson, principal of Bethel Primary in Hopewell, Hanover, also pointed out that her school has not had any problems with the full reopening of school, even with an 85 per cent turnout on Monday.
She said that health protocols are being closely observed, noting that students and teachers were familiar with the rules as they had been attending school on a rotational basis since January.
“The Ministry of Education has been quite supportive of this school. I do not know about the other schools, but they have been in touch continuously with this school to find out if I have any challenges,” Johnson said.