B.C.’s Education Minister says the hybrid learning model of some in-class and some at-home learning is likely to continue in September when the new school year begins.

Rob Fleming says that will likely be the case until a vaccine is widely available for COVID-19, which is not expected to happen until at least 2021.

He also acknowledged a lack of engagement that the Ministry has heard about with many students learning from home, and says it is concerning.

“We hope that the June restart is part of something that will help us have an even stronger start to school in September. We know that a lot of students have struggled at home, solely based on remote, online learning,” Fleming said, while speaking in Victoria today.

Fleming says about 60,000 public school students returned to class yesterday in some capacity, compared to the 550,000 students who would normally be in class.

In the Kamloops-Thompson School District, some students returned to class today for the first time since spring break.

“And I know teachers have done incredibly innovative things to make learning fun and engaging but a lot of kids have missed in-class instruction and there really is no substitute for that,” added Fleming. “So, it’s an option for parents. We respect whatever choice they make, whether it’s to return their kids to school at this time or not.”