PRIMARY school children now know when they will go back to school - but a lot of anxiety and frustration could have been avoided easily.
It is difficult to see how the Covid-19 situation altered significantly, if at all, between last Thursday, when the decision was deferred, and yesterday.
A few extra days preparation time would have been welcomed by principals, but now most have just two due to the St Patrick's Day break.
Some have no time at all, as they have planned to close for the rest of the week. That is likely to change for staff now.
It had been suggested that the carry on last week and timing of yesterday's executive meeting - on the eve of St Patrick's Day - was a ruse to make a Monday return practically impossible.
Ministers would have been able to say `well, we wanted children to go back but there sadly wasn't enough time'.
Principals likely would have preferred this, having been told originally they'd be given 10 days to prepare.
Instead, their schools, parents and P4-7 children are left with a very short period to get everything ready.
This contrasts with the approach taken with the P1-3 group, which was clearly signalled two weeks in advance.
Teachers are also angry having prepared learning packs containing thousands of pages to be sent home to P4-7s for next week.
It appears that some politicians were under pressure with the north failing to keep up with its neighbours in the Republic and Britain.
Talking to parents, they say their children are relieved they now have a return date.
On one hand, the executive agreed to scrap a plan to send P1-3s back for a bit then ask them to resume home-learning. On the other, P4-7s will be in the classrooms for little more than a week before they break up for Easter.
However, parents see the benefit of a `soft' restart with more serious work taking place after Easter.
Teachers too have rejected claims that it is pointless bringing children back for a few days before the holiday. They say every single day spent teaching in the classroom is better than them trying to learn from home.
However, everyone - parents, children, teachers - knew all this last week, as did the executive.
The delay was altogether unnecessary.
