For weeks we've been covering the push and pull over when school should re-open after the Christmas holidays. The Ministry and the school management says the opening date is today January the third, while the Union says it is the ninth - and parents and students were caught in the middle.

So in the end....who had their say, and who had their way? Well, it seems the teachers won out - at least at the Primary School level.

Most schools we visited in the city this morning were only half opened: administrators, a few teachers, a good many students, but not enough to have a proper school day. And those students who did go to school were eventually sent home because there wasn't enough critical mass to carry through with a full school day.

At the high school level - such as at SJC high school for example, we saw classes in session and classrooms that looked full.

But, in most cases, it seems principals left the decision up to teachers: and in most cases, they chose to stay home and use up their full three weeks of Christmas holidays.