Education Ministry, TTPS try to reach absent students

Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has said the ministry is working with the police and the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services to try to reach the parents of students who did not engage in online classes in the last academic year.

Speaking to the media at Tranquillity Government on Thursday during a visit before the start of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam, Gadsby-Dolly said the ministry was working with the two agencies to locate the students.

“We have sent a formal list of students we need assistance with contacting their parents,” she said.

“We’ve sent that to the police and we are going to follow up with them to ensure we make contact.”

She said the ministry is constrained by not being able to contact some students and parents. “Once we don’t have that contact it is impossible for us to engage the students.”

She said the ministry conducted a learning loss survey which was sent out to teachers to determine which students were absent from classes for the year.

“We are now analysing the results and putting together a report and that will form a part of how our schools operate in September with respect to meeting that learning loss gap that we know exists globally.”

She also said lack of devices was not the only reason students were not engaged.

“There were those who had everything and yet could not make that transition so we are putting strategies in place to deal with that.”