Anglicans support continuing learning during stay home

Anglican Bishop Rev Claude Berkley said there are logistical matters to be put into place before the educational programme at Anglican schools can continue holistically.

He said the board had not completed its deliberation on the ongoing process but continuing education by teachers during the stay-at-home period was something that was encouraged and supported as students would need guidance and direction, while some parents would not be able to give the help needed.

The Anglican Church in TT manages 16 primary schools and eight secondary schools.

He was responding to an initiative by the Catholic School Board to use digital media to resume classes on April 20, with television and weekly work sheets being used to teach children who do not have access to the internet.

Berkley said some schools have been doing work with students and the board would like this to be a more universal approach. He said this has been hampered by a lack of contact information for parents, movement of principals to their schools, and other factors.

“What we have discovered is that contrary to what we may believe about the internet, there are many instances where it is not as available as we think it is, and those are the people most likely to need the greatest help. We are working to help these people, to the extent that it is possible. However, there are the social distancing and stay-at-home factors that can intervene in how we reach out to some persons. Utilising social media, the internet, the telephone are clear-cut kinds of arrangements, although I think you can do more with social media and the internet than you can do with the phone if you are only just being able to speak because some matters require some demonstration.”

He said with respect to teachers and the position being taken by the TT Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), it was important to find ways and means to encourage principals to work with teachers to get maximum work done in the period they are away from school.