 Thousands of students across the island, along with their teachers, welcomed their second day back in the classroom in months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Face-to-face instruction began Monday, 25th October for King Nagatana's grade six and forms four and five secondary school students. Hon. Sean Edward, who visited a number of schools Monday, is pleased with the phased reopening of the academic year. Somebody Mark has more. The Government of Sindhu Shah, in an effort to ensure the safety of students and staff of schools on the island, visited several educational institutions on Monday. A contingent from the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, including Education Minister Hon. Sean Edward, Permanent Secretary and Deputy Permanent Secretary, School Safety Officer and the Chief Educational Officer, visited several schools to garner firsthand information on the welfare of staff and students as schools reopened on a phased basis. Students of critical grade levels such as kindergarten and grade six in primary school and forms four and five in secondary school return to classroom instruction. Hon. Edward indicated that based on guidance from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education hopes to reintegrate other grade levels in the weeks ahead. The school is the safest place for our children to be and this is a point that I have made repeatedly. Children have been at home for weeks and in some cases months and for a lot of them it has been a struggle, it has been a challenge, they found themselves engaging a lot of on-save reactivities and I believe that the sooner we can have all our children back in school, the better it will be for us, not just as a ministry but as a country. So it's very important. Our children have been deprived of a lot of instruction time ever since the pandemic visited our shores. So as we continue to make progress and as we continue to emerge out of the pandemic I think it is critical that we assess the situation to have our children back in school. The minister indicated that teachers and students were excited to return to the classroom. They do appreciate the amount of time that has been lost due to the pandemic. So the faster we can have everybody back in school, as I said, the better it will be for us as a country. Our children have lost a lot of time and moving forward we have to play catch-up, we have to ensure that we give them the most comfortable environment for them to live. Honourable Jean-Edward applauded parents for their patience and contribution towards students' education and applaud that they continue to support the students throughout their educational journeys. From the Government Information Service, Helma Dimak reporting.