MONTEGO BAY, St James —President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) Owen Speid says the nation's teachers are afraid of re-entering the classroom to facilitate students sitting the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exit exams in July.

“The teachers are scared to death over the fact that they think that going back to school on the 8th of June is really premature and dangerous,” said the JTA head, making reference to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The JTA president argued that while his association had opposed the July sitting from day one, the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools accepted the date.

“We think that it was irresponsible of the secondary schools' principals association and the Ministry of Education, in fact, we thought that the secondary schools' association created the mess and the Ministry of Education wallowed in it to come up with a decision to hold this sitting in July,” asserted Speid, who suggested that September would be a better date.

He said the decision made is insensitive to the welfare of the students, and teachers, “because to put them out there, many of whom take public transportation to get to and from school, and to put them out there like that, is like lamb to the slaughter.”