PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley Tuesday warned that even as schools were re-opening for face-to-face classes after two years due to the coronavirus pandemic “we are still not out of the woods yet”.
Students returned to classrooms on Tuesday, April 19th.In a message, Rowley said after almost two years of experiencing the “worst trauma, stress and overall deprivation in their development” school children “are cautiously stepping back out into school as we knew it. I am so happy."
“The pandemic has made demands on our young ones that none of the rest of us have ever been called upon to deal with. We wish them all God’s blessings and guidance as they retrieve their development pathways. Our country’s future depends on their protection and their success.”
But he said even as the schools open “I implore all citizens to remember that we are still not out of the woods yet. The pandemic is still a very real threat and our individual cooperation is required to ameliorate its effects.
“It’s a good, long-awaited day. Let us acknowledge its significance and continue working diligently and responsibly towards even better days. Our children hold our promise and they deserve all our support. Watch them go. Help them grow.”
Earlier, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly wished pupils all the best on their first day back to physical school, after being home for two years.
“While some students were out for exams, along with the fours and six formers, all students can make their way back out to the physical classroom based on the advice from the officials of the Ministry of Health,” she wrote on her Facebook page, noting that it’s time that students come back out and socialize, as these two years have been very difficult for them and the parents.
“As they go back to school, the students must do so safely. Living in this pandemic, we have to teach our children how they live safely. I know that parents and teachers will be constantly reminding students how to be safe, how to observe the three Ws. These things are still very important,” she added.
But as the schools re-open, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) said that there are still many outstanding issues that need to be addressed before school reopens.
“TTUTA is not 100 per cent convinced that the Ministry of Education is ready for the reopening, as we have people on the ground who are saying that there is not enough furniture and there are staff shortages. However, the district officials for TTUTA will be on the field next week to assess the situation properly,” TTUTA first vice-president Marlon Seales said on a radio program here.
Trinidad and Tobago has recorded 3, 803 deaths and 142, 200 infections linked to the COVID-19 pandemic since the first case was recorded in March, two years ago.
