Majority of schools reopened for Eastern term on Monday

 

The Ministry of Education says approximately 87% or about 877 public schools reopened on Monday for the start of the Easter term, following the damage to school infrastructure during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. 

 

The schools that were damaged have been authorised to use blended modalities to ensure continuity in students' education. This includes remote learning, which Chief Education Officer Terry-Ann Thomas-Gayle explained takes into account the lack of connectivity. 

 

"The students have like three days in face-to-face setting and two days away. When they go in for the three days, they are given work to be completed in the two days that they are away. What the ministry has done, we actually just finished finalised some of that work. We have created a learning kit. So we have sent out learning material primarily at the primary level. We have completed the work for all grades. We have distributed grade four. Grades five and six will be out by next week. And this learning material...will last up to a month," Mrs. Thomas-Gayle outlined. 

 

She said there will be an assessment of the level of usage of the learning kits which students will use for remote learning. 

 

"At the end of the one month or the end of the term, we will do an assessment to see the extent to which the students have used the material. The visits will continue at the institutions and we will be having the dialogues with our teachers and principals to see the extent to which the students are indeed accessing the resources."

 

The Chief Education Officer said the Ministry of Education's modified curriculum and learning kits will benefit all students across the island up to the secondary level, including private institutions. 

 

She was speaking Tuesday on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines.