SAVANNA-LA- MAR, Westmoreland — Excited teachers, nervous parents and strict COVID-19 prevention protocols will be the order of the day when a number of schools in the western end of the island begin face-to-face summer school classes today.

Tropical Strom Elsa scuttled plans to begin lessons yesterday but going forward, school administrators will welcome students on two days each week.

“We are very excited, as we are looking forward to interacting with our lost children,” a cheerful principal of the Savanna-la- Mar Primary School Meghan Berry told the Jamaica Observer. Members of the National Youth Service will be on hand to do temperature checks and ensure each student’s hands are washed on entering, Berry added.

Cayona Young, whose son attends the institution, said though she’s worried about her son keeping on his masks and sanitising frequently, she is going to take a leap of faith and send him to classes.

With thousands of the country’s students feared left behind after the education system was disrupted by COVID-19, summer classes are being touted as a way to bring them back into the fold ahead of the new school term in September. When the initiative was announced there were mixed reactions from principals who expressed concern about a number of issues ranging from lack of detailed information, the availability of teachers who may have already made other plans for the summer, and the impact this would have on their usual approach of using the summer months to prepare for the new school year.

Yesterday most of the educators interviewed were eager to begin classes. According to regional director in the Ministry of Education’s Region 4, Michele Pinnock, the teachers in the region have been supportive. “I can’t complain about my teachers. They have an understanding of the bigger picture,” she said, adding that they are focused on maximising students’ potential.

Students’ performace was also top of mind for principal of Georges Plain Primary, June Neil-Anderson.

“If we can get a ‘tups’ of increase [in students’ results], then that would be good,” she said. She has been an educator for over 35 years and is anxious to get back in the classroom today. She stressed, however, that students’ safety comes first. Most of them, she explained, live in Three Miles, a flood-prone area.

Classes, which will run up to August 19, will be taught both face-to-face and online. About 17,000 students and 3,000 teachers across the country are expected to participate.