 With school returning to an online instruction format because of the recent upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases on the island, the special needs sector is attempting to allay the fears of parents and to provide them with factual information that will help them make informed decisions for their special needs children. Education officer for special education, Dil says she says, it was extremely important that his unit engaged the local pediatricians to give support to parents, but also to teachers who are responsible for the care of children with special needs. The medical professionals provided answers meant to comfort parents' anxieties about the virus, providing information on a host of their concerns. Some parents are worried about children with special needs being vaccinated, worried about their safety in the COVID environment, and we're glad that these pediatricians took time to meet with these parents on an evening, devoted some of their personal time to be available to answer their questions and help inspire them, I think, to get their children vaccinated so that they can safely re-enter the school spaces as soon as permission is given for that. The education officer spoke at a ceremony to receive assistive devices from the Education Quality and Improvement Project, EQUIP. Some of those devices included instruments to help identify children with special needs so they can get the required care. The special education sector has been highlighting the daunting task of providing support to children with special needs whilst being away from the classroom. Probably need now more than anything else for children with special needs is for school to be open. I need you to understand that most of these devices cannot be implemented through online learning. We are doing all that we can to ensure that our children with special needs are safe and can safely return to school. Mr. Seji says the onus is on all Saint Lucians to play their part in ensuring that the number of active cases of COVID-19 on the island is at a level that will allow for the authorities to reopen schools by getting vaccinated and observing all the COVID-19 protocols. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, I am Daniel Dubois reporting.