Vaccinated or unvaccinated, secondary school teachers who teach upper school classes will have to attend physical school from October 4.
On August 28, the Prime Minister announced that secondary schools will physically re-open on October 4 for fully vaccinated forms four to six students and that face-to-face attendance was optional. Then, on September 21, the Ministry of Education advised that physical school would begin on October 4.
Also, in a release on Thursday, the ministry said it issued guidelines for the physical re-opening of schools.
“The MoE conducted several rounds of consultation with all key stakeholders and the recognised majority union and has communicated the guidelines and operational requirements to principals of all secondary schools.
“Teachers who are timetabled to deliver instruction to fully vaccinated students of Forms 4-6 are required to report for duty at their assigned schools to deliver instruction via the face-to-face modality. Physical attendance notwithstanding, teachers are encouraged to utilise blended methods of curriculum delivery.”
It added that the ministry started distributing laptops and MiFi devices to teachers and students to further support blended learning. Principals also had to submit an individual school reopening plan to identify how forms four to six students who were not attending school physically would access educational material.
However, there are still questions of how exactly the unvaccinated students will be taught and whether or not vaccinated children truly had the option not to attend since the guideline says, “A fully vaccinated student who is absent from physical classes but present online must be recorded as absent on the electronic attendance register and a note taken of the online attendance.”
Also, the various school boards had not yet had time to meet to discuss the guidelines thoroughly.
[caption id="attachment_915128" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Students of Presentation College, San Fernando in discussion after the CXC English exam on July 21. Vaccinated students in forms four to six are to return to in-person classes on October 4. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]
Fr Gregory Augustine, principal of Fatima College, told Sunday Newsday said discussions on the guidelines had only just started so no policies had been made but he believed vaccinated students returning to physical school was a “much more realistic position.”
He said the virtual classes for the lower school would continue because all of them would be at home, but a dual lesson for one class, such as streaming live to children at home, would not be possible.
“That’s an idealistic kind of thing that does not work, that can’t work, not only in TT but anywhere. So that blended thing where they talk about those at home could follow the class, that’s a pie in the sky thing.”
He said educators would not want to leave any child behind so the schools would reach out in a practical way to those not attending physical classes. They may send the lessons and work via e
