Covid19 and education

TTUTA

Part II

THIS WEEK we continue our examination of ways in which the measures taken for covid19 has revealed fissures in our education system that must be addressed if we are to move beyond business as usual. One of the major questions we must ask is: “Are we funding the right things?”

In the new normal to ensue with the reopening of schools, principals will face competing interests for funding and will have to prioritise expenditure. In addition to addressing issues of equity and equality, other must-attend-tos include sanitisation and creating spaces for physical/social distancing. Moreover, building teacher capacity to cope with online learning (in the very real case scenario of blended learning as the new normal) will pose a challenge.

It is also critical to bear in mind that considerations of the foregoing will occur in a context of overcrowding in schools and classrooms, lack of adequate infrastructure, and lack of access to appropriate teacher-training opportunities for capacity building to facilitate effective use of online modalities and virtual classrooms for curriculum delivery.

Online teaching requires a specialised skill set and teachers will need training. It is therefore important to foster partnerships with training institutions such as the University of the West Indies (Faculty of Humanities and Education) and the University of TT. One now has to define or redefine learning and how it can be achieved in a virtual environment. Delivery of the curriculum on mainly cognitive information does not mean that learning is taking place.

Re-engineering the education system has to do not only with schools, teachers, and students but a responsive parent ministry that is innovating and creative in all the services that support schools, teachers, and children. This would include curriculum redesign, school supervision that is focused on school development, social services in the co-ordinated provision for each child and support structures to cater for the well-being of students and teachers.

The delay in conducting assessments such as SEA, CSEC and CAPE will have a negative impact on all students. Maybe with physical distancing and following all the guidelines as outlined by the Ministry of Health, the SEA examination could have been held using secondary schools as centres. Large secondary schools can accommodate five to ten students in a classroom.

Hiring additional invigilators and putting measures in place would have allowed the examination to be conducted. Imagine these 11-year-old students already stressed by these life-changing examinations waiting and not sure the exact date for the examination. Students “peak” at differing times and motivation is going to be an uphill task to get students back on the education treadmill.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we cannot move ahead with plans that will marginalise and disenfranchise many children, who, through no fault of their own, exist in circumstances that put them at risk. There are many families who are not able to provide devices or access to online learning opportunities.

The Education Ministry’s constant refrain of leaving no child behind will become just that if it pursues its current timeline with these respective high stakes exit examinations. In the current circumstances, many children will be left behind.

CSEC and CAPE are largely determined by the CXC but Trinidad is a major contributor to CXC’s coffers and we ought to have a strong voice and not allow our students to be rushed into an examination that may be inferior and lack validity. Our school graduates apply to universities abroad and our assessments may come under question. Choosing students to enter Sixth Form is going to be a serious challenge for principals and the Principals’ Association should consider the specific guidelines to be used.

Finally, the decision to close schools and “lock down” the society was by no means a vacation for teachers and students. Therefore, the mental health of teachers and students must be examined closely, and support structures implemented to ensure a smooth transition back to school. Ahead lies challenging times but if all stakeholders are engaged, then we stand a better chance to grasp the opportunity to change and improve the education system.

While the pandemic may have initially challenged life as we know it, it also presents a unique opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of the education system as it is delivered in its present format.

As educational leaders it is incumbent that we embrace the challenge and shoulder our responsibility to create a better sector for future generations. Our children will assess us having been visionary, responsive, and up to the challenge of creating a legacy that would have the longevity needed to educate citizens to be globally responsive and embrace challenges in a fearless and confident manner.