Ministry of Education gives update on preparation for new school year as teachers head back to work on Monday

Schools across Antigua and Barbuda, while set to resume in less than two weeks time, will open for teachers on Monday, August 29.  

Students, on the other hand, return for the start of the 2022-2023 academic year on September 5.

Teachers have undergone workshops over summer break and their early return is in preparation for the new school year, official reports say.

The shortage of teachers has been a constant problem over the years, with students often not having an instructor for a particular subject, sometimes for an entire term. However, the Government is promising that every step is being taken to ensure that each school has an adequate number of teachers this year.

Work is also being done to ensure the school plant is ready to receive the inflow of students; this includes having an adequate number of desks and chairs; cleaning the classrooms; and ridding the compounds of overgrown grass and shrubbery.

Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph, meanwhile, says that COVID-19 has been greatly reduced in its ability to spread; however, he says the wearing of masks remains optional in classrooms — but is very much encouraged.

Meanwhile, the Youth Education and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) has reportedly registered approximately 500 students ahead of its new academic year.

Administrators of the programme say that classes will likely be split between two venues, both of which are yet to be confirmed, but will be done shortly.

It was only last week that an administrator took to social media to claim that his efforts to find a home for the programme were not being supported, despite a Cabinet decision that the Ministries of Works and Social Transformation should have advanced.

YEEP students, reportedly, are primarily made up of working and unemployed adults who are now seeking to acquire CXC and CAPE subjects, and it is said to be involved in the preparation of students for university.