Students will be returning to class on a part-time, voluntary basis on Monday.
School-aged children can attend class once or twice per week depending on what grade they are in.
However, some people have questioned the motive as to why kids are allowed back now instead of September.
In an interview with Vista Radio, Education Minister Rob Fleming stated there are a few good reasons to do it.
“You know, there is a lot of concern about the mental well being of our students, there are a lot of vulnerable kids who have not been connected to their schools in a long time and there are lots of kids that have done as well as they can in the remote learning environment but could really benefit from a solid month of school.”
He believes the province is in an enviable position compared to other provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario who cancelled the remainder of the academic year.
“British Columbia is very, very lucky to be in a place that most other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world are not in, we are very much akin to Denmark and New Zealand where we have very low cases, and recoveries are outstripping new cases in several regions including the north.”
“We put schools on a very cautious and gradual inclusion into that plan (BC Restart Plan), it has to be on a part-time basis with a very low density of kids in schools, it’s voluntary so parents have the choice of what’s right for their families and we’ll be able to support every student in the province.”
Fleming added all kids will receive a final report card move on to the next grade.