Posted on October 15, 2021

Children across the country will continue to take online classes for another two weeks, after which a blended approach will be considered again in early November.
 
This is according to Education Minister Curtis King, who shared details of the recent decision on how to teach in schools, given the continued upsurge in COVID-19 positive cases.

“We have extended online teaching for the next two weeks. If conditions are right, we will start a blended approach from Monday November 1 for all schools, ”King told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday afternoon.

Schools in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines opened virtually for the 2021/2022 school year on October 4, due to the COVID-19 situation.

Officials announced ahead of the opening that they would consider a blended approach two weeks later, and that it would be considered to resume face-to-face learning later in the quarter, depending on what was happening with the pandemic.

The education minister said yesterday that a detailed document had been prepared which presented several categories to facilitate this plan.

Although its implementation has stalled, given the two-week extension of online education, it is the document that is likely to inform the process in the future, as it relates to l ‘mixed approach.

King explained that the first category related to schools that have a small population, sufficient capacity to physically distance themselves, are not in an area classified as a COVID-19 hotspot, have completed repairs and whose students were not forced to travel using public transport.

Schools that meet these conditions would open their doors to students for face-to-face learning.

The second category was for schools that had a large population, insufficient capacity, had completed repair work, were not in an area classified as a hotspot, and whose students were not required to travel using public transport. common.

These schools would be open in a mixed format.

The third category focused on schools that have a large population, insufficient capacity, incomplete repair work, are in an area classified as a COVID-19 hotspot and where students had to move around using public transport. .

These schools would only use the online format.

“We had 17 (primary) schools indicating that they would have done only online. The mixed version, 37 primary schools had declared themselves ready for this. And there were nine schools, considering their size, that thought they could have done it face to face, ”King said, referring to the elementary schools that fall into the respective categories.

He also revealed that when it comes to secondary schools, 13 fell under the category of online education only, while another 15 were able to implement the blended approach.

“Unfortunately, given the situation in the country and so on, it was felt that we should continue online for the next two weeks and in the meantime we are doing everything possible to ensure that on November 1, once the conditions are favorable, we move on to this plan, that is to say to the next phase, which would have been a mixed phase ”, declared the Minister of Education.