THE education ministry has announced additional measures, including psychosocial support for schools, students, and parents ahead of the virtual reopening of schools on October 5.

Education Minister Fayval Williams, who gave details Wednesday at a virtual press conference, also announced that as a part of the ministry’s communication strategy, two toll- free numbers have been put in place to enable students, teachers and parents to make inquiries about the back-to-school process.

Also, an e-mail address — educate@educate.gov.jm — has also been created to accommodate back- to-school queries, while a a back-to-school webpage — educate.gov.jm — will go live today. “This page will direct parents, teachers and students to the relevant document and resources for online learning; you do not have to have a data plan to access that site,” she said.Town criers are also to be engaged to deliver back -to-school messages to rural areas and inner-city communities

Williams said the ministry’s Guidance and Counselling Unit, in collaboration with school guidance counsellors and clinical service providers, will provide counselling, pscychosocial, and empowerment sessions for students, staff, and parents. “The Guidance and Counselling Unit has developed a psychosocial plan to guide interventions at the school level for the first term of the new school year,” she said, adding that the unit will develop and implement pyschosocial plans at the school level and provide monitoring.

According to the minister, youth empowerment sessions have also been implemented by the Youth Division of the ministry, with a focus on student safety, psychosocial care and readiness for back- to-school. She said schools have been asked to provide the ministry with information for nutritional support which will be supplied by Nutrition Products Limited, starting ext week.

Meanwhile, the minister said $826 million will be spent on electronic and hardcopy educational resources, and that the ministry is providing textbooks needed for the school year. She said that at the lower primary level (grades one to three) workbooks are being supplied for integrated studies and mathematics, and that for the first time the ministry will be providing workbooks for the upper primary level. “This initiative, we believe, will alleviate the financial challenges being faced by parents during this COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

Additionally, she said for high schools, a blended approach is being used, giving students access to hardcopy workbooks and textbooks, alongside ebooks which will be piloted for the various subject areas. She said the 38,000 ebooks will cost the Government $200 million.

After being forced to abandon the planned start of the new academic year in September, the Government announced that schools will be reopened, but virtually, using three modalities —online delivery, free-to-air television broadcasts, and the provision of learning kits.

— Alphea Saunders