Last week, quite a few of our neighbouring CARICOM countries opened school doors to students to conduct face-to-face classes for the first time in a while.Some took on a phased approach, with only a section of the student body reporting for physical classes while others attempted to engage the entire school roll.Here are some extracts from media reports in some of the territories.In Jamaica: “Administrators at a number of primary schools in the capital city beamed with joy Monday as their students returned for face-to-face learning that was disrupted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Government had indicated that all primary and high schools would begin reopening on January 3, 2022. To get approval for the resumption of face-to-face classes schools had to receive a health inspection and COVID-19-compliant report from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.” – Jamaica ObserverIn Trinidad: “Physical classes have resumed only for Forms Four to Six students while the others are being taught via the online platform. On December 22, the Ministry of Education announced the phasing-in of more students back to physical school. Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said there were no major incidents reported to the ministry regarding the reopening of schools. National Parent Teacher Association president Zena Ramatali and Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association president Antonia Tekah DeFreitas also had no complaints from their members. – Trinidad Guardian
