School officials at the Elmore Stoutt High school junior campus at Lower Estate Tortola, BVI announced to students, teachers, faculty, staff and parents last week that due to the lack of facilities to accommodate testing, all students of the junior high school with the exception of the Student Support Department will continue the school term online. This means that students will be taking exams online, at home.
Notwithstanding the social distancing protocols being lowered to three feet to accommodate more students, school officials say that they are still unable to accommodate students face to face for testing, this is due to health and safety COVID-19 protocols, lack of furniture and unreliable internet connectivity among other things.
Despite school officials announcing these decisions weeks ago, some parents seemed to have missed the memo with many still showing up to drop off students today Monday June 7th, only to be reminded that for the reminder of the school term sessions will be online.
Our newsroom reached out to the Acting Premier and Minister for Education Dr. Hon. Natalio Wheatley who assured to address and offer an official comment at a later time.
Full Face to face sessions in September seems impossible with no furniture
Despite the dire hope of residents wanting to have students return to full face to face sessions come September. It seems almost impossible without proper infrastructure as 284 Media’s research shows that the incoming population of students from the Primary schools is more than the facility, presently the present junior high school population is more than the facility. Will schools be open fully in September? The present infrastructure and lack of furniture does not seem to make this possible.
More to come as the story develops.