A mother hugs her sons before dropping them off at Arima Boys’ Government Primary School yesterday for the first day of the new term. Photo: Internet Source

Monday marked the return to physical classes by all school children for the first time in roughly two years, as schools had stayed shut to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Results were also released yesterday for Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) pupils.

But there was none of the “back-to-school” traffic and hyper-activity usually witnessed on the first day of the new term—which also represented the first day of primary or secondary school for thousands of children.

Hardly any school children in uniform were seen in the before and after school hours, as parents and guardians took caution and kept most pupils at home.

As the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) continued its rejection of the four per cent wage offer, the Ministry of Education reported yesterday that, “Based on data received from the Division of School Supervision, at our primary schools today, there was attendance of 16,819 or 17 per cent of students and 1,392 or 27 per cent teachers”.

At the country’s secondary schools, the ministry said 28,738 or 39 per cent of pupils and 1,851 or 31 per cent of teachers attended.

Pupil and teacher attendance was better at denominational schools, with 28 per cent of teachers and 20 per cent of pupils in attendance—while the “corresponding attendance at Government schools was 24 per cent and 12 per cent respectively”, the ministry stated in release.

At denominational secondary schools, “teacher and student attendance was 47 per cent and 68 per cent respectively, while the corresponding attendance at government schools was 25 per cent and 26 per cent respectively”, the ministry said.

Critical return of pupils

“The return of our students to the physical classroom is a critical milestone and its importance cannot be overstated,” the ministry stated yesterday.