End the uncertainty

CABINET must go brave when it comes to the education system and the pandemic. In doing so, the paramount consideration must be safeguarding the well-being of the thousands of students now in limbo. It is not just a matter of when or whether school, as we traditionally know it, will reopen.

Term dates, classes, lesson plans, examinations—these are all the things that give young minds structure. The pandemic has disrupted this, and done so abruptly. The State must devise ways to counter. It must promulgate online education tools that would feature in the classroom. And it must take bold action when it comes to matters like examinations, such as the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA).

The thinking of some members of the denominational board system is instructive, though not unquestionable. The Roman Catholic Church, which has responsibility for about 20 per cent of the primary and secondary schools, is eager to use technology to resume classes online. If adopted, and there should be collaboration between the various religious bodies and the State. Either way, such an approach poses challenges in terms of technological capacity.

We need to implement robust and secure systems with ease of use and the capacity for a high number of users. Even if every school is not placed on the same system (needs will vary) there should be some degree of standardisation, reflecting an agreed-upon policy and culture of online engagement.

In all of this, there is no way forward without close collaboration with teachers who will have to adjust pedagogic methods to suit the current circumstances. Certainly when it comes to coordinating students who are on the cusp of transitioning out of primary school to secondary school, or even students who are due to leave one segment of secondary school and enter another, there needs to be agreement across the board over what is going to happen in terms of assessment or cancellations.

The State cannot afford to keep dancing children around, especially the younger students who were due to sit SEA. It needs to decide whether this examination will be cancelled outright this year, and whether students will be required to repeat the year. Such options, while they would have been unimaginable a few months ago, now present themselves as among the least disruptive and prejudicial available.

They also have the advantage of requiring the allocation of no additional resources, only a degree of inconvenience. That said, if classes continue online, examination processes could migrate there too. But that could be a thorny process given technology’s bug.

Throughout, Cabinet must be mindful of the needs of all stakeholders. Among them are university students who are in a different position, paying fees and operating in a system that is already conducive to online learning and therefore far more flexible. Whatever action is taken, it must end the uncertainty.