Mixed reactions to February return for forms 1-3, standard 5 students

Parents, teachers, and students of forms one-three have all been preparing for their return to the physical classroom ever since Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly announced they would join their upper form classmates in February.

In December 2021, Gadsby-Dolly said standard five students will also be allowed back to the physical environment in February to prepare for the upcoming Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) in March.

Principal of Fatima College in Port of Spain Fr Gregory Augustine, in a phone interview with Newsday on Monday, said while he is still waiting for official word from the ministry, schools have been preparing for the reopening regardless.

“The plan (to reopen) is still there but no firm word firm the ministry as yet,” he said. “It can change because of how things have been operating for the last two years (but) the government seems resolved to move ahead despite talk of the (omicron) variant.”

He said he believed the ministry would go forward as planned with the February reopening and praised the ministry’s phased-reopening approach.

Later on Monday, the ministry announced February 7 would be the restart date.

Earlier, Augustine said, “Over the last several months, the ministry has been flexible. There was no mass reopening (but) they have been reopening slowly but surely.

“If you look about, there are not many children in the street because not many schools have a lot of children out. The reopening has been gradual. I think that is what we will continue to do, my guess, for the rest of the school year.”

He said he thought schools were ready to receive the additional student load.

“The parents and children are ready. It’s been two years.”

He said a gradual return to the physical environment would work well as students were adhering to rules.

Speaking to Newsday anonymously, one parent said her son’s school was moving forward with reopening even though they too were still awaiting official word from the ministry.

“Whether or not the government changes their mind, (the school) will be ready. That’s the word we got from the school.” she said.

She said her son had all of his books and she was readying other school supplies for him.

“He hasn’t had new shoes in two years, so he has to get those as well.

Her son, also speaking anonymously, said he had grown tired of the online schooling and was ready to return to the classroom.

“Work is harder (online). I want to go back out to school in February.”

One teacher, however, who also requested anonymity, said she did not agree that lower forms should return to school with the recent increase in covid19 cases, specifically the omicron variant.

“In my opinion, forms four-six should also be at home and only come to school for School Based Assessments (SBAs) if a teacher asks for it as most students are not coming to school right now.

The teacher said while she is not a parent herself, her students’ parents have expressed concern especially as many of then have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

She said she was also unsatisfied with how her school had been preparing for the reopening.

In a release on Monday evening, the ministry confirmed students forms 1-3 are required to return to the physical classroom on February 7, 2022, on a rotational basis. It said all students will be required to attend school physically at minimum two days per week, and five days in a 10-day cycle.

The release also said standard five students are required to attend physical classes from February 7 to March 31.

It said on Wednesdays teaching will be virtual to accommodate school cleaning.