With the new school year now underway, some hinterland-based students remain concerned over their inability to access virtual platforms to keep up with their curriculum.
A 15-year-old student living in Lethem, Region Nine, said that while students are engaged through virtual platforms this hasn’t started yet. She noted that last term the students formed groups and received packages from the Education Ministry but these haven’t been distributed for the new term. She reminded that not all students have access to the internet and that this leaves them at a disadvantage. She is unsure how these students are engaged.
She said that the students are behind on the curriculum because they haven’t been taught as much. She noted that many students use textbooks to study. This newspaper was also told that the secondary school students are currently waiting for advice about schools reopening as adolescent vaccination continues. The student, who is unvaccinated, said that many students have not received their shot because their parents have not consented for them to receive it.
A teacher from Region Nine who teaches Grades 10 and 11 said students had been engaged through online classes between September 2020 and June 2021. “But only those that have access to reliable Wi-Fi,” she explained, while noting that she started interacting with her class on Tuesday last but she couldn’t say whether this was the same for all.
She said those unable to access the virtual platforms received worksheets that were assessed at the end of each week. However, she noted that the online teaching is not preferred by the teachers in the area because they cannot connect with all their students.
Face-to-face engagement is due to resume for the new school year but the Ministry of Education has announced that this cannot happen until students ages 12 to 17 are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Teachers are also required to be vaccinated or produce a negative PCR test result regularly. The teacher said there are some teachers who took the vaccine while others haven’t. Being a part of the set who haven’t received a dose, she said that she is uncomfortable with the new policies by the government. She told this newspaper that many persons have their own reason for not taking the vaccine and noted that for some it is pregnancy or underlying conditions. “I am a breastfeeding mother of a three months old baby and I will not be taking the vaccine because I’m uncertain about the effects it might have on my child,” the teacher stated.
The Ministry of Health has stated that breastfeeding mothers can be vaccinated but has said it is advised that they seek clearance from their doctor before. It has also said mothers who do not wish to be vaccinated can be exempted for a period of six months from the date of delivery. There is also an exemption for pregnant women who do not wish to be vaccinated for the duration of their pregnancy, although they can be vaccinated if they choose to be once they have received clearance from their doctor.
The teacher also argued that there is not a lot of reliable sources with information about the vaccines in the region. As a result, she said the strategy being used to get persons to take the vaccine is unfair.
The teacher said that she hopes that her school will be reopened but noted that it is not ready for such a step. She said, “Our school population is approximately 1,200 students and about 54 active teachers and we don’t have the space to accommodate that amount”.
Meanwhile, in the Moruca Sub-Region of Region One, a teacher informed this newspaper that teachers have been engaging with students through the same means as the teachers in Region Nine. She said that during the school closure, parents would go and pick up the study packages provided by the Ministry of Education, while the students who have access to internet would be taught through virtual means.
In Georgetown, most students are connected through virtual means. Students who cannot be reached through virtual means are however being given study packages. The Ministry started this imitative as part of the blended approach to teaching students. It has created several packages which can be accessed at the ministry’s website and can be picked up at schools.
