NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (June 03, 2021) – – Parents and guardians are advised that schools on Nevis will remain closed for face to face instruction for the remainder of the academic year.

Hon. Jonel Powel, Minister of Education in the government of St. Kitts and Nevis made the announcement on June 03 that a decision was taken to keep all schools in the Federation closed for in-class learning out of an abundance of caution, in light of the community spread of COVID-19 in the Federation.

“The Ministry of Education has taken the decision that we will not resume school for the purposes of face to face instruction for the remainder of the school year

“This is as a result of the community spread and the fact that we as a Ministry do not think that the risk is worth it to open schools in light of everything that is happening, bearing in mind that we would be closing schools naturally at the end of this month,” he said.

The Education Minister said primary school students will not be writing end of term or end of year examinations. Their performance would be based on continuous assessment that would have been done throughout the academic year.

Early Childhood Centres, he said, will remain closed until further notice.

With respect to secondary schools, the Minister said students will be allowed to take their examinations. He also spoke to the issue of students preparing to sit their Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.

“In relation to secondary schools, last week we would have naturally begun examinations for some of those students, so those students who would have been preparing prior to that and even during the past two weeks of closure through the online modality, will still be able to write their examinations. The Ministry will indicate to parents and students the modality in which they will have that opportunity.

“We will also be prioritizing our fifth form students who are about to write the CXC examinations. A recent release from CXC would have indicated those examinations have been pushed back in relation to their start date to June 28, and so we will prioritize preparation of our fifth form students in terms of face to face interaction for preparation and writing of those exams,” he informed.

Schools on St. Kitts and Nevis were initially closed to in-person lessons for two weeks on May 24 after contact tracing for individuals who had tested positive for COVID-19 extended to several of the nation’s schools. A number for educators and students have since tested positive for the virus. Teachers on both islands have since been conducting classes via an online platform.