Only students sitting exams to participate in face-to-face teaching

Only students who are to sit major examinations will be allowed to participate in face-to-face teaching.  

Therefore, only grade six students at the primary school level and grades 11, 12, and 13 students in high schools are going to be allowed in classes.  

This was announced at a post-Cabinet media briefing this morning by Minister of Education Fayval Williams.

Williams said discussions were held with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and Cabinet before the decision was made. 

She added that sector stakeholders including principals and the e-COVID Task Force were informed of the decision Wednesday morning.

“Many of our students come from different communities to attend school. Our risk-based model in terms of our process continues to be used. We continue to input new data that we receive into the model and as we analyse the data and as we go along, we cannot ignore the caution lights that we are seeing,” Williams stated.

The education minister said students from other grades would revert to online and distant learning.

More than 400 schools have been approved to restart face-to-face classes, but a little over 300 have resumed that modality.

But with COVID-19 cases spiking in recent weeks, President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association Jasford Gabriel told The Gleaner that over 30 schools have been impacted and that they had to close or pause their operations.

On Wednesday, Williams said there has been no “wholesale” closure of schools that have been impacted.

Jamaica on Tuesday recorded 193 new cases increasing the total to 22,019 with 8,292 being active.

One additional death was recording, moving the tally to 406.

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