Bulletin 201/2021

GENERAL
“Every Child Can Learn… Every Child Must Learn”

ATTENTION: REGIONAL DIRECTORS, SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMEN AND PRINCIPALS

OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

SUBJECT: EASTER TERM SCHOOL RESUMPTION – JANUARY 3, 2022

____________________________________________________________________________
Dear Colleagues,

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MoEYI) wishes to advise our
stakeholders that the second term of the 2021/2022 academic year will
commence for formal classes on January 3, 2022. As of this date, we will also
resume face –to – face instruction in all pre-primary, primary and secondary level
institutions for all students.

As a means of ensuring system equity, remote learning opportunities will continue

to be available and include the online/computer-aided learning, audio-visual
learning and learning kits. Large primary schools and high schools must use the
blended and/or the rotational schedule given their capacity and student
enrolment.

However, before face to face instructions can be offered, school administrators

are required to:
1. Obtain a satisfactory institutional health inspection and COVID-19
compliant approval report from the Ministry of Health and Wellness for
the 2021/2022 academic year. See Bulletin 167 for guidance on how to
proceed with the re-inspection.

2. Engage parents in consultation to aid their preparation for face to face

learning. Consultation can be done virtually or in small groups as per
the guidelines of the Disaster Risk Management Act.

3. Submit to the Regional Office a copy of the satisfactory health reports

from the Ministry of Health and Wellness and a letter signed by the Board
Chairman indicating the extent of the parent consultation and the start
date for face to face engagement. The letter should also outline the
schedule for face to face learning including the approach to be used –
whole day or rotational. Where the COVID-19 protocols allow, all the
students may be accommodated daily. However, where this is not
possible, please ensure that each year group is given at least two days
of face to face learning each week.

Dr. Kasan Troupe, JP

Chief Education Officer (ag)
--------------------------------------December 29, 2021---------------------------------------------
2 - 4 National Heroes Circle, Kingston 4, Jamaica, Tel: 922-1400, e-mail: kasan.troupe@moey.gov.jm
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 4. Re-sensitise all key stakeholders about the protocols to be observed and
reactivate all systems to ensure the safe operations of the school. Once
the health conditions are met, the re-orientation and administrative
activities attendant to the reopening of schools must be completed by
January 7, 2022. Every effort must be made to capitalise on contact
time to address the learning loss.

Smooth Operation
Pursuant to the foregoing, the Regional Director, in consultation with the principal,
the Planning and Development Division and the Schools’ Operations and
Improvement Services Branch, will provide written approval for the
commencement of face to face instruction. The Region will also provide
monitoring support as is customary.

School administrators are expected to review the operational budget and

reallocate the resources to ensure the operational needs of the school are met;
organise for learning within the available staffing resources and submit to the
Regional Office the dataset showing the student vaccination rate (secondary
schools only).

Reporting for Duty

All staff are expected to be at work as guided by their deployment schedule. All
individuals working in the school environment are expected to be vaccinated
given the availability of the COVID vaccines and the special arrangements that
have been made to accommodate our school staff.

Therefore, those who work in the school environment are expected to be present
for work once the students are scheduled to be in the physical environment for
classes and as guided by the staff deployment schedule. Persons with co-
morbidities are encouraged to get vaccinated and observe the COVID protocols
as they carry out their daily duties on the school compound.

Vendors at or near schools

Within the context of the resumption of face-to-face teaching and learning, those
vendors who operate at, or in close proximity to the schools, and are selling and
interacting with students are strongly recommended and encouraged to get
vaccinated at one of the many vaccination sites. School administrators are
expected to be strategic in the management of the school vending
arrangements and in reminding students and all other parties of the necessity of
mask wearing, physical distancing and handwashing in these situations.

Education in Emergency Reminders

The MoEYI’s Education in Emergency Manuals and Guidelines outline all the
procedures that must be followed to ensure that our students and all who work in
the school environment are safe while engaging in teaching and learning. We
encourage our school boards, school administrators, teachers, support staff,
parents and students to read and re-read the Education in Emergency Manuals
and Guidelines.

Reminders of Physical Spacing and the actions to be taken (adopted from

UNICEF):

Dr. Kasan Troupe, JP

Chief Education Officer (ag)
--------------------------------------December 29, 2021---------------------------------------------
2 - 4 National Heroes Circle, Kingston 4, Jamaica, Tel: 922-1400, e-mail: kasan.troupe@moey.gov.jm
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  Maintain a distance of at least 1 metre between everyone present at
school
 Increase desk spacing (at least 1 metre between desks), stagger
recesses/breaks and lunch breaks (if difficult, one alternative is to have
lunch at desks)
 Limit the mixing of classes for school and after-school activities. For
example, students in a class will stay in one classroom throughout the day,
while teachers move between classrooms; or classes could use different
entrances, if available, or establish an order for each class to enter and
leave the building/classroom
 Stagger the school day to vary the start and end times or use a rotational
schedule and avoid having all the students and teachers together at
once where there is a space challenge
 Advise against crowding during school pick-up or day care, and if possible,
avoid pick up by older family or community members (i.e. grandparents).
 Arrange school pick up/drop off times differently (according to age group)
to decrease any large gatherings of children at a given time
 Use signs, ground markings, tape, barriers and other means to maintain 1
metre distance in queues around entrances
 Discuss how to manage physical education and sports lessons
 Move lessons outdoors or ventilate rooms as much as possible
 Encourage students not to gather and socialize in big groups upon leaving
school grounds.

Please see the attached list of 856 Ministry of Health and Wellness compliant
schools for your attention.

Limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus is everyone’s responsibility. We continue

to encourage our school leaders, teachers, support staff, parents and students to
get vaccinated against COVID-19. The weight of evidence is that COVID-19
vaccines are safe, effective tools for preventing severe illness and death from
COVID-19.

For additional information and queries, please contact the Regional Office or
your assigned Education Officer.

Dr. Kasan Troupe, JP

Chief Education Officer (ag)
--------------------------------------December 29, 2021---------------------------------------------
2 - 4 National Heroes Circle, Kingston 4, Jamaica, Tel: 922-1400, e-mail: kasan.troupe@moey.gov.jm
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