4,000 Tobago students need laptops

An estimated 4,000 students in Tobago need laptops for the new online curriculum, which is expected to begin officially on September 14.

TTUTA Tobago officer Bradon Roberts told Newsday the figure was revealed by teachers, principals and schools supervisors during meetings of the Division of Education, Innovation and Energy in the run-up to the reopening of the new school term.

Roberts said on Thursday there are roughly 12,000 students in Tobago.

“So it’s about a third or so of the (student) population that do not have the laptops,” Roberts said.

But he said there is a possibility the number may be inaccurate.

“That number might not be realistic because we are human beings and some persons, when they hear things giving out, all of a sudden they don’t have (laptops) and they want.

“So it very well may be a case where it is not so many. But we (TTUTA) have to work with what comes before us.”

In addition, Roberts said many students do not have internet access at home.

“There are many pockets in Tobago where the internet is either weak or non existent and not able to get access to connectivity.”

He said the education division has been liaising with Digicel and bmobile to see how best they could increase access, “but it has not been done yet.”

At a news conference on August 28, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly appealed to the corporate community to help provide laptops, other devices and connectivity for some 65,000 schoolchildren who do not have access.

Gadsby-Dolly said while the Government would consider providing some of the devices “we are also reaching out to the business community, the chambers of industry, alumni associations and we are asking corporate TT to become involved in this effort.”

Roberts said many Tobago students still are not ready to access online teaching.

“They are far off in terms of devices. And I don’t see devices being ready for students probably not even in this term, because they are just so far off.

“Look where we have reached. We are making a public cry for persons to donate laptops.

"Since March we know we had this shutdown...We reached at this position now where we are begging. That should not be the case.

"And if we are begging now, then we don’t know when we are getting these laptops.”

Roberts said teaching online for the foreseeable future, would not be smooth.

“I hope that teachers don’t get discouraged after they put in the effort and they not getting anywhere with it.”

He said politicians must also be cautious about what they tell the public, quoting recent comments from Secretary of Education Kelvin Charles.

“They are going out in the media and saying that we are 'fully ready.'

"We are not. We working on it, but is a work in progress, and we are not close to completion.”

On the online curriculum, Roberts said teachers lack direct instructions.

“The plan would have been rolled out by the minister. However, those would have been the ambiguous ones. But teachers at this time would need direct instructions.”

He said the instructions are still being fine tuned by the ministry and the division.

“To be honest, I am disappointed that those instructions are not out as yet.

“The division, specifically, would have been more proactive, because they were planning all along. But they ended up in a situation where they were not getting much information from the ministry. And the division is now again trying to push what they were planning before.”

Roberts said teachers now have to change the way they plan and teach their lessons.

“However, you don’t leave that up to a teacher to go through that work, plan it and then when you are ready to deliver it or you go to your principal, it is not to the standard that they want.”

Roberts added, “But this is the planning week and if those instructions are not out, what will teachers plan with?

“Principals are guessing and doing what they interpret it to be, and it is causing confusion.”