Private schools shuttered in light of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are providing lessons to their students online while for public schools, the Minis-try of Education (MoE) has resources on its website and has also shared links to educational websites on its Facebook page.
From March 16, the MoE ordered that all schools be shut for two weeks to mitigate against the spreading of COVID-19, which has become a global pandemic.
Stabroek Weekend has confirmed that Marian Academy, School of the Nations, the Georgetown Seventh Day Adventist Academy (GSDAA), and Mae’s Schools – all private schools – are among the educational institutions that are providing lessons to students through various online platforms.
Belle West Primary, a public school on the West Demerara, seemed to follow suit but only for a day during the course of this past week when lessons were sent in the WhatsApp group for Grade Six, a parent said.
Sixth form teacher at Marian Academy, Rhonda-Ann Lam, shared that soon after the MoE ordered the shuttering of schools, the institution asked its Information Technology team to set up a website for students at the secondary level to keep up with the school’s curriculum. All of the secondary level teachers, Lam said, teach online at their usual assigned time. While she could not comment on what is happening for the lower levels, Lam said two of her younger relatives who attend the primary and nursery levels, are being sent daily lessons via WhatsApp by their teachers.
Lam, who teaches Literatures in English and Communication Studies to students sitting the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), said that in addition to teaching her sixth form classes via the website, she has also created a Facebook and WhatsApp group for the class. Classes have therefore not been adversely affected.
What has been affected, however, is the CAPE class’ annual trip to Suriname through which they were expected to complete their internal assessment. This tour would have seen them visiting the Maroon villages and the museum there, which would have been informative for their speech patterns and culture aspect of their lessons.
A parent, whose two children attend Marian Academy and Mae’s Primary, said that because she is self-employed, in the wake of COVID-19, she has reduced the amount of clients she sees. Her older child, a first former at Marian Academy, spends up to three hours every day logged on to their website which she was able to access via her own individual code, the mother related. The website, she added, allows for her child to receive assignments and submit the completed projects, as well as receive grades for them.
On the other hand, the woman said, her younger child receives her lessons via WhatsApp, an initiative that came about through a parent in her child’s class. “We, the parents, realising that the Grade Three teacher lives in an area where she doesn’t have access to Wi-Fi, came together in contributing towards her having data so that she can post lessons on WhatsApp,” the woman said.
Another parent, whose second grader attends Marian Academy, said that she received an email from the child’s teacher once in the past week with lessons attached but has not received anything since.
Meanwhile, Director of School of the Nations, Dr Brian O’Toole, said, “We have a website where all our teachers are providing materials. In terms of the tertiary level, all of the courses are being offered via Zoom, an online [platform] similar to Skype.”
Principal of the Georgetown Seventh Day Adventist Academy, Blondelle Campbell, shared that her school is conducting classes through online platforms. “In light of the coronavirus pandemic, and in keeping with the call from the Ministry of Education to suspend classes, the GSDAA closed its doors to regular classes. In an attempt to keep the students engaged, a decision was made to have lessons posted to the school’s WhatsApp group. Each day teachers share lessons from the various subject areas including [the] Bible. The children were engaged each day with the hope that much class time is not lost. This initiative was welcomed by the parents,” she said in an official statement.
Social Impact
MoE Senior Public Relations Officer Brushell Blackman, when contacted, shared that the ministry has posted about the educational programmes being offered on the radio and television on their Facebook page. Quizzed on whether the Guyana Learning Channel’s educational programming was tailored for the two weeks of school cancellation, Blackman said he could not say. In relation to the impact of the two-week school cancellation on the Easter vacation, he declined to comment.
The MoE, according to a Department of Public Information report, has said that “vulnerable students and those with diminished access to education will also be catered to through social impact programmes that the Ministry is currently working on.” Asked about this, Blackman responded that he had no details about the initiative and added that the ministry is still working on it.
Meanwhile, though schools have been shuttered, it has been noticed by this newspaper that a teacher from Canal Number Two is still giving private lessons at her home. While passing by the teacher’s home, children were seen getting out of vehicles and joining other classmates waiting for their lessons to begin. Whether similar situations are occurring in other communities around Guyana is unclear.
The ministry, in a post on their Facebook page, said, “It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Education that some private lessons are still in operation. The MoE is urging persons to desist from such practice and ensure social distancing as we work together to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”
Parents and guardians are advised that they can check out websites and educational programmes being offered through the MoE. For the National Grade Six Assessment Practice Test Papers in the four core areas, persons can visit the ministry’s website at https://bit.ly/39Y698S or tune into the Guyana Learning Channel (Channel 42/Cable 69) to access educational programmes: Nursery Programmes: 6hrs – 9hrs; Primary Programmes: 9hrs – 12hrs; Documentaries: 12hrs – 13hrs; and Secondary Programmes: 13hrs – 15hrs.
Interactive Radio Instruction for grades One to Three daily timings are: Grade One (9:30hrs -10hrs), Grade Two (10:30hrs-11hrs), and Grade Three (13hrs – 13:30hrs). These are also aired on radio stations at Mahdia, Bartica, Essequibo, Mabaruma, Lethem and Annai.
Programmes for grades Three to Six are being broadcast daily on the National Communications Network radio at 13:00hrs.
In addition, parents can freely access textbooks online for all levels. For Image Nursery Text Books the website is: https://education.gov.gy/web2/index.php/nursery-school-resources/nursery-text-books while for primary text books, it is: https://education.gov.gy/web2/index.php/primary-school-resources/primary-text-books and for secondary text books, it is: https://education.gov.gy/web2/index.php/secondary-school-resources/secondary-text-books
A number of international online sites also provide free education for all school levels. They are: www.mathgames.com; www.studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams; www.khanacademy.org; www.funfonix.com; www.starfall.com; www.oxfordowl.co.uk; www.braincentral.online and www.learningHub.online
