CLARENDON, Jamaica — As predicted by principal of Alston High School in Clarendon, Adrian Sinclair, more students showed up for face-to-face classes today than the 84 who came in on Monday when the new school year began. Today, 130 of the 540 students enrolled came out for classes and he expects the numbers to increase in the weeks ahead.

Sinclair’s confidence that the numbers will grow is influenced by the turnout last year when the school was among 17 in a pilot programme that saw them opening their doors for face-to-face classes.

“Of the 540 students enrolled at the school, as much as 335 came out on [November 10],” he said. “[Our checks showed that] others were out of the parish with family members, some [had damaged] their uniforms and could not afford new ones, the rest were employed and some still are [employed].”

He added that some parents kept their children at home because of fear they would contract COVID-19. There were other reports of students being asked to stay home to care for family members suffering from co-morbidities. Students stuck at home but unable to join online classes, Sinclair explained, “were provided with a special learning kit to ensure they are not missing out on the schoolwork”.

To keep students and teachers safe now that the new school year has started, efforts are visibly being made to follow the safety protocols that come with attending face-to-face classes during a pandemic. Desks are placed the required six feet apart while helpful signs and sanitisation stations are seen at various locations on the school compound.

There is also a contingency plan in place if the number of students who turn out for the upper school, made up of grades 10 and 11, increases. There are two extra classrooms that can be used. Students are encouraged to have at least two masks in their possession when coming to school, and to wear them especially when travelling on public transportation.

“For those students who sometimes forget their masks, they are provided with disposable masks at the school gate,” Sinclair told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Efforts are also being made to prevent overcrowding once they are at school. The principal explained that for classes with a large number of students, he is awaiting the Ministry of Education’s approval of their request for additional staff to be able to split up the classes, as they would then have enough teachers.

According to the principal, 97 per cent of his current pool of teachers were at school on Monday, ready to teach. They have showed up despite concerns about their own safety.

For teacher Annette Walters, the greatest danger is in students’ reliance on public transportation.

“You don’t know who they are sitting beside, you don’t know who has [COVID-19],” she explained.

She is worried she may become infected and take the virus home to her daughter, or pass it on to her elderly parents during visits.

“I sanitise after I mark each book,” said Walters.

Despite her fears, she appreciates students’ joy at being back at school. On Monday she told the Observer online that they appear to be coping well. Walters explained that face-to-face classes are preferred as the personal interaction provides a more detailed understanding of the topics being taught. She believes there are too many distractions when students are learning from home.

Jahvay Gayle