On Tuesday, October 26, Prime Minister, Andrew Holness announced the approval for face-to-face class resumption as of November 8. This new protocol is expected to positively impact education as the children of Jamaica have suffered a great deal of learning loss.

Becoming dependent on online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students especially from the rural parts of Jamaica with inconsistent internet access and learning tools have undermined the quality of online education delivery.

Prime Minister Holness says the new initiative will see the resumption of 376 of 759 primary schools, adding that it is important that face-to-face class and learning is offered to these students every week. The Prime Minister says in order to move forward Jamaica must not treat COVID-19 like a project but instead learn how to live with the pandemic.

Meanwhile, with the continuation of classes set into gear, the PM says the Education Ministry will issue further guidance on how schools will be categorized. In risk factors such as the number of COVID-19 cases in the communities, the school is located.

Attorney-at-law, Valerie Neita Robertson, member of the Opposition People’s National Party, (PNP) also weighed in on the matter.

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