TTUTA: Teachers ready to return... but are schools?

MANY first and second form students will step inside their secondary school classrooms for the very first time on Monday following the Ministry of Education's mandate that sees physical classes return on a rotational basis.

Form three students will also begin attending in-person classes on rotation, while standard five primary school students will return to their schools full-time in preparation for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), which they will sit on March 31.

The ministry made these announcements last month in a news release, noting that each school principal was responsible for sharing details of arrangements with parents and students. All students, the ministry said, should be required to attend school physically on two days per week, at minimum, and five days in a ten-day cycle.

The return to classrooms has been welcome news for many parents, while others have expressed concern about its potential to exacerbate the spread of covid19 and the omicron variant. Teachers and their union have also been sceptical, largely because of infrastructural problems at the schools, particularly at the primary level.

TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Antonia Tekah-De Freitas, speaking on a talk show recently, said while teachers themselves are prepared to return to classes, the bigger issue is whether schools are ready for the students and teachers to return.

She also argued that the proposed rotation "is an infringement of the terms and conditions of educators."

Tekah-De Freitas said between 25 and 30 schools have submitted requests for repairs. Sunday Newsday understands there are electrical issues at St Stephen's College, San Fernando, and students are unsure when they will return to classes on Monday. Other schools are reportedly facing plumbing, sanitary, and other infrastructural issues.

Speaking briefly with Newsday on Saturday, Tekah-De Freitas said, "Principals of these (primary schools) have indicated that they have submitted to the Ministry of Education (via the School Infrastructure Management System) about repairs that needed to be done on the schools over the last two years.

"In some instances, some of the repairs have been done in some schools, and in other instances, no repairs have been done."

She said TTUTA learnt last week that some principals were notified by e-mail that repairs were done on their schools and work was being closed on the infrastructure management system.

However, Tekah-De Freitas said some principals have indicated, as fact, that no one visited their schools to do repairs or any kind of work. "That's an issue of accountability, but that's something the government has to deal with," she said.

"That issue indicates to us as a union and as educators that this issue of repairs and maintenance of schools is not being addressed in a systematic manner at all.

Without identifying the schools, Tekah-De Freitas said she is aware of instances in which principals identified as many as 25 items for repairs or maintenance, some of which existed before the schools were closed.

The National Primary Schools Principals’ Association on Saturday issued a statement highlighting the same concerns highlighted by TTUTA, among others.

It said, "There are several outstanding issues which have not, or have not been adequately addressed..."

Among them is the obvious concern about the high number of covid19 cases, and where the omicron variant is at the level of community spread.

"The anxiety referred to above is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of the Standard Five students are unvaccinated," it wrote.

"Resources such as face masks, gloves, cleaning supplies; resources for a designated quarantine area such as cots and PPE, must be provided, and replenished in adequate quantity; to meet the needs of all our primary schools."

It said funding must be given to primary schools to purchase school supplies and other necessary resources.

"Our survey also revealed that at least 50 principals have not been assigned laptops by the Ministry of Education to perform their administrative duties online. (Additionally) principals now must monitor both the physical and virtual environments of their schools; (and) the need for additional supervision of the students in the physical environment is also our major concern."

The ministry, in its news release, issued last month, said students who are not rostered for physical attendance are to be assigned asynchronous assignments.

"It is recognised that since February 2021, many teachers have been assigning asynchronous work for Forms 1-3 as they straddle both online and physical classes," it read.

"Teachers have, and will continue to receive guidance and training in methods for maximising hybrid teaching approaches such as the flipped classroom, so that the effectiveness of asynchronous classes will be maximised."

It said teachers have also received the critical areas for curriculum completion, which will allow them to make the most of physical classes with students.

The ministry announced that for the duration of the academic year, school uniform requirements will be relaxed, particularly with regard to the colour and type of school shoes.

It added that the School Feeding Programme will be available to eligible students in physical attendance and that school transport will resume when attendance numbers are finalised.

As it pertains to inoculation of minors, the Prime Minister, speaking on Saturday at a PNM virtual public meeting, said he and other regional leaders signed a Caricom document just days ago, which is intended to help acquire vaccines for children ages five to 11.