By Chantalé Fletecher
THIRTY percent of forms four to six students are fully vaccinated.
This according to Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly at a press conference on Wednesday on the planned physical re-opening of school for forms four to six on Monday.
Dr Gadsby Dolly said, “As of October 10, 30% of the forms four to six cohort was at this time fully vaccinated while 34% of the denominational schools reported that more than 50% of their forms four to six students were also fully vaccinated, as one percent of government schools indicated the same.”
She said that for the past two weeks, only vaccinated students in forms four to six have been in physical attendance in school based on the advice of the Ministry of Health.
Dr Gadsby Dolly said, “On October 19, data showed that 41,853 students aged 12 to 18 years old which is 54% received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 36, 540, which is 40% received their second dose.
She added during this time, data was collected on student vaccination rates, daily physical attendance, and methods of operations used by schools for students, who were not in physical attendance.
The minister stated that attendance data collected over the past two weeks also showed the school attendance was consistently lower in the Government secondary schools, with an average of 50% of the eligible cohort attending school physically.
Dr Gadsby Dolly said, “The private and denominational schools average attendance was 80% of the eligible cohort which continued to increase, with in some cases the attendance was as high as 95 % at the end of two weeks period.”
She said, “The results of these trends in vaccination and attendance showed that teaching of Forms four to six cohorts was taking place mainly online, though provisions have been made by the government for students safe return to physical class room.”
