Tabaquite MP: Government ‘rushing’ to reopen full face-to-face classes

Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes said while Education Ministry officials addressed key issues in preparations for the full reopening of all schools, areas of concern must be better managed going forward.

On Monday, the ministry announced the full return to physical schools from April 19.

A media release from Haynes said the ministry spoke about new and existing policies and ongoing data collection. However, the opposition MP said not much data was shared to encourage the buy-in of stakeholders who are not yet fully on board.

She charged that the ministry’s date served "more to fan the flames of worry rather than provide comfort."

She also said repairs are ongoing to multiple facilities days before the Secondary Entrance Assessment exam.

Haynes said while the ministry’s media conference was in progress, several parents and guardians contacted her expressing their concerns "surrounding the lack of a flexible schedule."

The MP said, "Some people are worried about the sanitation provisions that have proven insufficient thus far while others are concerned about their children’s health with auto-immune and respiratory illnesses."

She said several parents in her constituency do not have money to send their children to school every day. She added that school transport services are not fully operational in several rural areas.

Haynes charged that the reopening reflects a rush to resume the status quo.

"The Minister of Education said it herself: the most recently scheduled meeting with TT Unified Teachers Association was postponed and the ministry requires assistance from various state agencies to tackle key challenges such as student absenteeism, school violence, and the mental well-being of students," Haynes said.

"Why not prepare better for the next academic year instead of rushing to reopen in April?" she said, adding that the ministry’s Student Support Services Division is understaffed and overwhelmed.

Haynes knocked what she called the continued lack of consideration for students preparing to sit Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations and students with special needs.

She also accused the ministry of having no strategy to treat withover 46,000 students whom she said have never accessed online learning platforms across primary and secondary schools.

Haynes said the nation supports the safe return of students to physical classes, but it should not be a return simply for its own sake.

"The disruption caused by the pandemic provided an opportunity to reassess, innovate and improve. Merely returning to face-to-face classes, without data-based changes in education delivery, does not address learning loss, and is a source of stress to many stakeholders."