The Ministry of Education has announced that teachers and auxiliary staff members should report to school from Monday 8th June to begin preparing the schools for revision classes and exams in keeping with the Public Health protocols outlined in the Gazetted and published examination order.

The Ministry added that students sitting NGSA, CAPE and CSEC examinations are required to attend school from June 15, 2020 from 09:00hrs to 13:00hrs and thereafter every other day as part of preparation for the sitting of their exams. 

Only students preparing for those exams are required to attend school.

A senior Education Ministry official explained to News Source that the Headteachers will decide how the classes will be conducted and on what specific days, with classes being held no more than three days per week and a total of four hours on each day.

The official said it is not mandatory for students to attend the classes since the classes are for revision purposes. It was pointed out that the important days would be the days of the actual examinations and they must be present for those days.

Under the order, no more than fifteen students will be permitted to be seated in a classroom at any one time and they must be seated at least six feet apart from each other.

In keeping with the efforts to fight the coronavirus, all schools must have stations for handwashing with a regular supply of soap and running water and the schools will also have to have an area designated as a waiting area for when students arrive at school and before they enter the examination rooms.

Floor markings will have to be put in place to ensure students are always six feet apart from each other and the invigilators will have to place the exam papers on the desks in the classrooms before the students arrive, to ensure distancing between the students and the invigilators.

All students, teachers and invigilators will have to be wearing face masks once they are in the school compound and their temperatures will be checked at the entrance to the examinations centre.

Medical personnel from the community where the examination centres are located will also be stationed at the schools for the days of the exams.

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