LLUIDAS VALE, St Catherine — It’s a case of better late than never for staff and students of Juan de-Bolas Primary School which resumed face-to-face classes here in St Catherine on Monday, two weeks after the reopening date announced by Government.

Juan de-Bolas had been listed among a total 376 primary schools that were scheduled to reopen on November 8.

“Although we got the green-light from Cabinet for the school to reopen, our duty was to see to it that the necessary things are in place so that we could reopen officially, which we did,” said school Principal Mario Samms.

He explained that the delay was to facilitate reassessment by the health ministry, consultation with stakeholders, and also ensure that adequate measures were put in place to address challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The attendance among students has been relatively high since face-to-face classes resumed, Samms told the Jamaica Observer.

On Tuesday, for example, 27 of the school’s 32 students showed up on campus.

“Things are going smoothly, so far. The staff and students are very compliant [with] the COVID-19 protocols. The students seem to be coping and adjusting very quickly,” he added.

The first-time principal, whose tenure at the school commenced in January and will end in December, said he and his three dedicated teachers welcome the face-to-face arrangement.

Parents were also eager to send their children back to school, Samms noted, adding that he gauged the parents’ perspective during a tour he and his teachers did throughout the community.

“The parents assured me that the thing that would make them happy and comfortable is that the students return to school face-to-face. They were looking forward to face-to-face schooling because it is the cost-effective way in our community and [our] specific reality,” he said.

The principal also noted that, prior to the school being reopened to students, parents had struggled to purchase data for online classes because most of them have no WiFi in their homes.

“With the data, especially as you turn on the camera [for Zoom], the credit finish very quickly. Parents work very low income and are not able to provide the amount of data that could last for the entire day,” Samms said, adding that he has taken steps to have WiFi installed at the school.

“We have written letters to Flow to assist us with Internet; I have written to the Member of Parliament [Hugh Graham] as well for assistance with the Internet. We really have been badly affected by the pandemic,” Samms said.

He added that, although the current health crisis has prevented him from making the best of his relatively short tenure, he is pressing ahead with plans to further give the “under-resourced” school a facelift and to strengthen ties between it and the community.

As a result of appeals he has made to individuals and non-governmental organisations, the school now has a brand new refrigerator, a six-burner gas stove, more stationery, a photocopier, a weed whacker, and paint to assist with the facelift. Samms told the Observer that he is also seeking donations to have bathrooms at the school tiled.

“The school belongs to the community and anything that happens to the school reflects the community,” he reasoned. “In order for me to get good results out of our students and teachers, our environment has to be clean and comfortable so that people can look towards coming to work and coming to school.”

He is convinced that as the school improves in appearance, community relations, and academics, more parents will feel inclined to have their children enrolled there.

According to the education ministry, Juan de-Bolas Primary has a capacity of 120 students.

“I am not focused on the numbers being increased,” Samms said. “I am focusing on the quality of education. Once we offer quality education, we can say our school is the school of choice so that students can come.”

He is hoping the deplorable condition of the road leading to the school, which is among other factors affecting enrolment, will be addressed.