Tuesday marks the third day of the gradual return of in-person education in Jordan, with schools greeting third-grade students after long absences due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The return to schools in the second semester (2020/2021) comes in accordance with clear health protocols set by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the Ministry of Education to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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Sunday, the Kingdom began the gradual return of students to schools in all educational authorities, according to the return plan prepared by the Ministry of Education in three stages. Kindergarten, first-grade and Tawjihi students returned to school Sunday, while on Monday, second-grade students returned to classrooms.

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The general rate of attendance by kindergarten, first grade, and Tawjihi students in public schools on the first day of the second semester Sunday, was 49 percent, according to the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education for Administrative and Financial Affairs Najwa Qubeilat.

Qubeilat said that the highest school attendance rate was for first-grade students, at 63 percent, while the lowest attendance rate was for Tawjihi students at 37 percent.

The first stage of the return plan, within the framework of the health protocol includes kindergarten students, the first three grades of school, and Tawjihi students, who are all set to be back in classrooms simultaneously Tuesday. The ministry estimated the number of students in this stage to reach about 773,812.

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The second phase of returning to face education begins Feb 21 and includes students from grades 10 and 11, followed by students from the fourth to ninth grades in the third phase on Mar. 7.

Notably on Monday, the Ministry of Education announced that a total of 19 coronavirus cases were recorded in schools, nine of which were recorded among teachers, eight among students and two among administrative staff.

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