Thousands of primary school children returned to face-to-face classes as of Monday, after months of online learning or limited to no interaction with their teachers.
367 small primary schools reopen, accommodating some 45 thousand 390 students and 2 thousand 520 teachers.
Infant schools and some high school students are also allowed to return to face-to-face classes.
The schools were selected following an in-depth risk assessment of the 759 primary schools across the island.
The assessment looked at enrolment, the number of students enrolled versus the number of spaces and the number of COVID-19 cases in the communities where they are located.
Other issues examined included access to water for drinking and sanitation, internet connectivity, and the average distance travelled by students in commuting to and from school.
Of the 376 schools selected for reopening 191, are small primary schools with fewer than 100 students enrolled. For the medium-sized primary schools selected 185 have an enrolment of 630 students or fewer.
The schools will operate daily or on rotation, but in all cases, all students must have some face-to-face learning every week.
JTA president Winston Smith says teachers and students are eager to return to the physical classroom and seek to close the learning gap among students caused by the pandemic.
