Monday saw a low turnout of teachers and students at both the primary and secondary level, as the teaching union engaged in a day of ‘Rest and Reflection’ on the first day of the new academic year, over wage negotiations.

At the primary level there was a 17% turnout of students and 27% teachers.

At the secondary level, turnout was only slightly better, with 39% students turning up for classes and a 31% attendance by teachers.

The Ministry says there is much work to be done this academic year and ground to be made up given the reality of the past two years due to Covid-19.

“The return of our students to the physical classroom is a critical milestone, and its importance cannot be overstated. The results of our standardized terminal examinations, SEA to a greater extent than CSEC and CAPE, show that there is much work to be done at all levels during this academic year, which continues until July 7^th, 2023, and much ground to be made up.”

It added: “The cooperation and collaboration between parents, students, teachers, administrators, staff and executive of the Ministry of Education, and all stakeholders is paramount for the transformation of our Education System, and our recovery from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic experience. “