Schools will be reopening in Anguilla on Monday, September 6, but only by e-learning rather than face to face classroom instruction.
This is due to the fact that the Ministry of Education and Social Development is taking every precaution to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus. At present schoolchildren are not being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca medication against the virus and, according to Premier Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster, efforts are being made for supplies of the Pfizer vaccine to be provided to Anguilla by the UK Government for 12-18 year-olds.
The Ministry and the Department of Education have announced that when schools are reopened there will be a period of two weeks during which teachers will conduct online classes for their students. The lessons will be accessed by the students at home using laptops and other devices available to them either through the schools or their personal equipment. Teachers can deliver the lessons from their own homes or, if they choose, they can go to the schools to do so.
The Primary Schools which have been recently completed under the Anguilla Programme, funded by the UK Government: are the Orealia Kelly School; the Adrian T. Hazell School; The Valley School; and the Morris Vanterpool School. Both the Vivien Vanterpool School and the Alwyn Allison School underwent some repair or expansion work – and had already been occupied by students and teachers. With the present precautions against COVID-19, however, they will now also remain closed for the two weeks after September 6.
In announcing the reopening of schools, the Minister of Education and Social Development said, at the Government’s Press Conference on Monday, August 23, that the Comprehensive School was not yet in a state of readiness as the contractors still had much work to be done.
As a consequence, the Minister said that the shift system would continue for the time being when that school joined the other schools in reopening for face to face classroom instruction.
