EDITOR’S NOTE: In December 2020, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had recommended that teachers should be given priority in the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations. But prior to now, only overseas territories of the USA and Europe had received shipments of vaccines.

In this issue, #EduCaribbean therefore explores the effect this delay in administering the vaccinations is having on the educational systems in the independent Caribbean islands of Jamaica and the Bahamas. In the latter, resumption of face-to-face classes is only now being planned by their Ministry of Education.

In contrast, Jamaica had resumed face-to-face classes at a limited scale last month. But with community spread of COVID-19 now being experienced, their Ministry of Education has had to direct all public schools to offer face-to-face classes only to students scheduled to sit national or regional examinations. However, private schools are at present unaffected.

The good news, for Jamaica at least, has been that the teachers will be given priority to be inoculated once the vaccines do arrive. In the mean time, Universities are advocating that their staff and students in certain fields of study be considered in the second phase.

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