West Kingston students go back to school

Schools in west Kingston will reopen today following a two-week closure because of gun battles between lawmen and thugs and the subsequent peacekeeping operation in Tivoli and other communities.

Teaching and administrative staff of the affected schools have been at their institutions since last week preparing for the resumption of classes.

Last week, the education ministry also began counselling for teachers affected by the violence.

In the meantime, officials from the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) will be visiting schools in the western end of the capital today. The team will be headed by JTA President Michael Stewart.

The teacher union said the visit was especially aimed at bolstering the morale of colleagues and the students in their charge.

"The JTA notes with regret the impact that the recent civil unrest has had on the students, teachers and other members. We hope that normalcy and peace will be fully restored soon," the association noted.

A toll-free counselling help-line with assistance from Jamaica's three mobile-service providers, LIME, Digicel and Claro, has also been established.