TTUTA: Don't depend on teachers only for schoolwork while home

TTUTA president Antonia DeFreitas says parents should use textbooks to revise schoolwork with their children while at home and not depend solely on work sheets or online links from teachers.

In an interview on Wednesday, DeFreitas called on parents to encourage their children to revise all they had learnt over the last term.

“The students have textbooks, just go back to the books. There is no need to have online links if it is difficult for some parents. This too would allow enough revision to take place.

“Assessment is coming. So they should be using this time to review because a teacher will not assess anything that has not been taught in the classroom.”

Responding to concerns raised by some parents that teachers were not doing enough to reach out to students during the closure of schools, DeFreitas said it was not mandatory for teachers to supply work sheets for students.

“Since March 13 when all schools were closed, teachers have been providing work packages for students. They have been providing work both at primary and secondary level.

"Teachers have taken a personal decision to communicate with parents via e-mails, WhatsApp, Zoom and other social media platforms. They have been interacting with students, marking students from Form Five and those who are doing CSEC by marking their SBA's during this time.”

One parent who did not want to be named said parents were left to fend for themselves because the teachers at Guaico Presbyterian School “turned a blind eye” on the students.

“While we try to do our best at home, not one teacher was in contact with the parents to ensure children have adequate schoolwork to do during their time at home.

“There are schools in Port of Spain and west of the country who I know teachers have been reaching out to some students. These teachers up here, like they were absolutely glad school were closed to get an extra vacation,” the parent said.

Another parent said not only she is challenged with teaching her son mathematics, but did not have access to any online programmes for him to follow.

The parent said not all parents are academically inclined to teach their children and depend on teachers.

DeFreitas said schools were closed just before the assessment period and a number of teachers have been using the time away from school to properly plan.

She said the Ministry of Education has developed an online portal for SEA and secondary students to access which was advertised repeatedly in the media.

“TTT carries SEA programmes twice daily. As far as second year and the lower schools are concerned, second year it’s difficult for teachers to supply work packages for them because there is a need for a more one-on-one interaction with small groups.

“Parents who can access the internet and even the education learning programmes on the television will find lots of resources to use.

DeFreitas urged parents to use the time for revision by using the same types of questions and examples given by teachers.

She said there is no reason to say parents cannot cope or do work sheets for their children because there is a lot of advice in the public domain and on different media platforms.