Low turnout marks resumption of in-person school
Published:Tuesday | January 4, 2022 | 12:10 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
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As schools resumed face-to-face classes for the Easter term, at least four primary schools in the Corporate Area reported no hiccups, but there was low student turnout at some institutions. Principal of Franklin Town Primary School, Rohan Treleven...
As schools resumed face-to-face classes for the Easter term, at least four primary schools in the Corporate Area reported no hiccups, but there was low student turnout at some institutions.
Principal of Franklin Town Primary School, Rohan Treleven, said 81 of 145 students turned up for classes.
“Our numbers are low today. Some parents heard the news with the appeal for the reopening of school to be delayed and apparently they thought that it was a done deal. However, we had no challenges this morning. We were opened from November 8 and everyone was assimilating well into the system,” Treleven said, hinting to the school having received the green light and reopening late last year.
The majority of students at St Aloysius Primary School were in attendance on Monday.
Grade two coordinator Panceta Walker said she observed that socialisation among young students was very poor.
“Even though they were here in December for tests, we still had to sensitise them today on a number of things – show them the bathroom, remind them about handwashing and wearing their masks,” Walker said.
She added that parents were integral to the smooth running experienced on Monday as students were taken to school on time to allow for temperature checks and handwashing as part of the COVID-19 protocols.
At Maxfield Primary School, 146 of 270 students were present.
Principal Tracey-Ann Holloway-Richards explained that some students may not have turned up because of uniform challenges, even though she has indicated that parents have until the end of the month to get uniforms.
“We opened in good spirits and we didn’t have to send home any student or teacher [because of flulike symptoms]. I am just hoping that as the days go by, it will get better,” Holloway-Richards said.
Defrehn Sturridge, a grade three teacher at St Michael’s Primary School, told The Gleaner that only upper-school students were advised to attend school and the turnout was low.
Thirty-seven of 120 students of St Michael’s Primary showed up for face to face classes and a number of parents called in to say their children had the flu.
“The children are eager to come to face-to-face classes, but uncertainty may have accounted for the low turnout. For a lot of parents, it is a wait-and-see approach, so maybe by Wednesday, the numbers will improve,” Sturridge said, adding that with last Saturday being a public holiday, some parents may not have had the opportunity to shop for school supplies.
Meanwhile, president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), Winston Smith, said students and teachers are yearning for engagement after being in the virtual classroom for so long.
“I haven’t heard any negative news from any school. We are very optimistic that things will be positive because the teachers are very committed to the work of educating our children,” Smith said.