With many schools still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education is continuing to distribute print packages to students to ensure continued learning.
A Department of Public Information (DPI) report issued yesterday stated that hundreds of students along the East Coast Demerara (ECD) and East Bank Demerara (EBD) in Region Four are the latest beneficiaries of the distribution.
On the East Coast, packages were distributed to primary school learners from Grades Two to Six from Cane Grove to Plaisance over the course of the week, while on the East Bank, Grades One to Five students from Eccles to Timehri have received similar packages to aid their learning in the four core areas of Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies.
The packages are being distributed to the schools after which head teachers and teachers select the best method to dispense the materials to parents, guardians and students based on each area’s unique circumstances.
Distribution in Region Four will continue on Monday at schools which have not yet been served, the report said.
Print packages were originally intended for distribution in the hinterland and riverine communities, where internet connectivity is unreliable or non-existent.
However, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand recently announced nationwide distribution from the nursery to secondary level, following calls from parents and guardians on the coast for similar learning measures, in addition to other systems in place.
“We heard you when you said that you wanted us to give your children worksheets here on the coast too and we believe it is a useful way of engaging children and a more comprehensive and sure way of engaging students,” the report quoted Manickchand as saying.
In addition to print packages, the Ministry of Education has revitalised the Guyana Learning Channel Trust, to be one of the main couriers of education during the pandemic, with a range of education programmes daily for nursery, primary and secondary school students, in accordance with the respective curricula.
Pupils with internet connectivity are also being engaged on varying online platforms.
Some $300 million is allotted in the national emergency budget for the measures taken to keep learners engaged and mitigate learning losses during the pandemic.
