Venezuela’s schools are once again filled with students. In March 2020, all classrooms were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 19 months of distance learning and semi in-person classes, pupils are eager to come back.

The government lifted restrictions at educational institutions allowing in-person activities using a regular schedule of five days a week. But the decision to resume activities across the country comes with many challenges for students and teachers.

More than eight million Venezuelan children of all ages are now attending face to face classes. Fifteen-year-old Ryan Liendo is one of those students.

“Coming back to my classes for me is better, because we understand all the things we study, all the subjects. Says Liendo “I like the new normality, it's the same as we used to have.”

Now that classes are back there's plenty to catch up with, according to teacher José Albeiro who is in charge of 34 students at a high school in Caracas.

“We’ve returned again to the basics on how to add, subtract, divide and multiply, because even that they have forgotten."

High school student Yanely Salas says she’s glad to meet her friends again but most importantly to have direct contact with her teacher.

“I was doing my homework for the sake of doing it, but I was not understanding, I was not comprehending my lessons like I’m doing here."

To guarantee a full return to the classrooms Venezuela's government has prioritized getting teachers and children vaccinated.  And started a special program to improve schools.

But according to the Venezuelan Union of Teachers it has been impossible to return five days a week, since more than 70% of the country's public schools are in a poor condition and require renovation work and basic services like water.

Like most educational institutions in the country at the “Maria Auxiliadora School” in Caracas, there's no regular running water.  They’ve implemented a strict water schedule to maintain health measures.

Principal María Quiróz explains how to preserve and distribute the water they receive every week.

“Water is scarce from Wednesday onwards. We started a rationing system of that precious commodity that is like blue gold, we restrict it and provide water during breaks and lunch time” Quiroz said.

Parents like Jesús Blanco say having his two children back at school is a relief. Remote learning represented not only a challenge for many families without access to the internet but also posed an additional economic burden.

“For many, it is an uphill battle to pay for internet service in this low-income neighborhood." Blanco said. “We used to get student activities using our cell phones on WhatsApp, and eventually it was a lot of money for many who didn’t have enough to pay for the cellphone bill."

As the end of the school year approaches, despite the difficulties for both students and teachers, they're all doing their best to make up for lost time. In the meantime, classrooms are once again filled with joy and a renewed desire to learn.

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