Education Minister: Online learning no substitute for face-to-face classes

EDUCATION Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said online learning is no substitute for face-to-face education that students receive in a classroom. She made this point at the commissioning of the Siparia Union Presbyterian School on Friday. This was the fourth such commissioning of new primary schools within recent weeks.

Already commissioned were primary schools in Chatham, San Juan and Malabar. The Prime Minister delivered the feature address at the commissioning of those schools. He was not present for Friday's commissioning.

As she acknowledged that schools are not built to be physically without students and teachers, Gadsby-Dolly said, "If we look into the future, I don't think we would say there would never be a population in these schools again." She added, "The question is, how quickly."

Gadsby-Dolly said, "It is globally acknowledged that online (learning) is not a replacement for face to face (learning)."

To those people who criticise Government of rushing to bring students back out to school during the covid19 pandemic, Gadsby-Dolly said, "The rush is there are students who need to get back to the classrooms. Not just students without devices or connectivity. Students who are not doing well in the online."

She continued, "No matter how well we do in terms of preparing the online and the teachers are learning and so on... the best bet is a mix of technology and face-to-face education." Gadsby-Dolly reiterated that schools will be opening virtually from September 6.

"One would hope that you would have some aspect of physical opening before the year ends." Gadsby-Dolly said exactly when students could physically return to school was dependent on advice from the Health Ministry and input from all stakeholders.

Gadsby-Dolly said she understood the challenge associated with bringing children out to school during the pandemic, both as Education Minister and as a parent. "I had a daughter in Form Five sitting exams."

She said it is difficult for students not being able to physically attend school and not having to sit end of term examinations in the normal way. "I was very worried for my daughter – I still am, the results are not out."

Gadsby-Dolly reiterated this is why the ministry is continuing to implore parents, especially those with children who are sitting examinations, to give their children the best layer of protection against covid19 by ensuring they are vaccinated. "Every parent wants their child to be safe."

Gadsby-Dolly said the benefits that children get from physically attending school include "socialising with each other...learning how to take disappointment...how to deal with people." She added these benefits cannot be achieved through online solutions.

"So as much as we are doing to ensure that there is equity in educational opportunity...by ensuring that students have devices...by ensuring they have (internet) connectivity...by ensuring that we train teachers (in online learning)...to ensure that we use our student support services to deal with mental challenges...it is not sufficient for our children."

Gadsby-Dolly said the ministry is working feverishly to deliver the last tranche of some 20,000 procured electronic devices that have been distributed to students all over TT over the last two months. She said the ministry is working with igovTT to provide connectivity to these devices within the next two weeks, evaluating tenders that have come in for e-books and working with the Digital Transformation Ministry on ways to improve online learning for students.

Despite being challenged by the covid19 pandemic and limited finances, Gadsby-Dolly said the ministry continues to work with stakeholders step by step to address issues at different schools throughout TT. Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe thanked Gadsby-Dolly for the commissioning of the school.

Bodoe said Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, former senate president Dr Linda Baboolal (deceased) and Zalayhar Hassanali, widow of former president Noor Hassanali were among some of the prominent people who attended the school.

Presbyterian Primary School Board of Education chairman Vikram Ramlal and school principal Jerome Ramlakhan also praised Government for commissioning the school. Ramlal recalled the school was damaged by fire years ago and students had to be accommodated in less than ideal conditions in other locations, in order to continue to have an education Ramlakhan described the school's commissioning as a historic day and something that was welcomed by all its stakeholders