The Tribune

WHILE all government schools will reopen for instruction on Monday January 4, students on four islands including New Providence will not report to school yet for face-to-face instruction.

“Due to the current Emergency Powers Orders, students on the islands of New Providence, Abaco, Eleuthera and Exuma will not report to a school site but will log in to their school via the Department of Education’s virtual learning platform to attend school virtually. Students on the other islands will report to their school campus for face-to-face instruction,” a press release from the Ministry of Education said.

“All school-based staff (i e teachers, school administrators and support staff) including those posted on the islands of New Providence, Abaco, Eleuthera and Exuma, are expected to report to their school campus unless otherwise permitted by their principal.”

Earlier in December, Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd told reporters it was possible face-to-face learning in public schools would resume in February. At the time, he said his ministry is working with the Ministry of Health to chart the way forward.

“We are working with the Ministry of Health and the health officials and they want to get past Christmas and, you know, see whatever comes out of that Christmas experience and then possibly (we’re going to be) looking somewhere around early February,” he said in December, when asked when face-to-face instruction would resume.

He added: “We’ll be back to face-to-face in the early part of the new year. Soon as the Ministry of Health gives us the okay and we’re ready to move and we’re more than likely gonna be starting in New Providence and Abaco with blended learning.

“Now there are some schools because of the size of the population, they can go face-to-face 100 percent, but naturally that means that there are fewer students and there’s more space but the bigger schools like Anatol, CV Bethel, Doris Johnson, more than likely we’re gonna begin with blended learning in the initial stages.”