Anna-Lisa Paul
As schools across the nation reopened virtually yesterday with only Forms Four to Six students physically being allowed back into the classroom – both the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and the National Council of the Parent Teacher Association (NCPTA) have come together to appeal to people to adhere to public health regulations so all children can return to classes.
And while the Ministry of Education (MOE) remained silent yesterday regarding questions about students’ attendance and virtual classes being accessed, TTUTA president Antonia Tekah-De Freitas reported that attendance at secondary schools “may not have been very great.”
Meanwhile, NCPTA’s public relations officer Shamila Raheem said there was generally, “Major disappointment from teachers, parents and children who were not able to attend school physically, especially our SEA students.”
It was previously anticipated that Standard Five students who will write the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam on June 10, would have been given the all clear to return to the classroom yesterday.
However, this was scrapped following a meeting last week where health officials pointed to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases as the main deterrent.
Tekah-De Freitas said while they had not received any untoward reports from those who had attended school yesterday, she expects the attendance records from this cohort of students to remain low in the coming days.
She said it is only persons needing to complete School-Based Assessments, Internal Assessments, and labs that would be coming out.
Expressing concern that there were some secondary and primary school students who remained without devices and/or internet connectivity up to yesterday – she referred to the Means Test set to come on stream shortly which the MOE will use to determine who genuinely needs a device.
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has reported that up to February, a total of 35,700 students remained without access to a personal device.
Keen to see students return to schools so normalcy can be restored, Tekah-De Freitas said, “There has been an increase in the COVID-19 cases again and we know as the Minister of Health said, that is from when recreational sports and activities were allowed…but we have not yet seen the Easter spike yet.”
Claiming any further increases in the case load would adversely affect the performance of the SEA students and by extension all those writing exams, she said the psychological impact cannot be under-estimated as the absence of any interaction between the students and teachers as well as with classmates, was going to have a long-term effect.
“We are going to be discussing with the Minister of Education shortly, the way forward for the examinations,” she said.
Tekah-De Freitas ended by urging citizens, “to follow the guidelines so we can continue with our children’s education.”
NCPTA recommends one day of classroom interaction for Form One’s
Revealing they had received concerns from parents “over transportation issues” as some children needed to take as many as three taxis to get to school - NCPTA’s public relations officer Shamila Raheem said, “This is a health risk and the MOE needs to step in and assist these children who have a long commute.”
Pressed to provide feedback relating to the resumption of virtual classes, she said, “Online classes are taking a toll on our children. It is totally different from physical classes and we need the collaboration of all involved such as principals, teachers, parents, guardians and others to fix and assist our children with their concerns, needs and issues.”
To the adults, she too pleaded, “Please, please practice what is required of you to prevent the spread of COVID-19 so our children can resume physical classes as soon as possible.”
Offering up recommendations on the way forward, NCPTA’s president Clarence Mendoza called on authorities to allow, “Form One students one day of physical schooling per week.”
He said this would assist in maintaining and improving their mental health and also facilitate the much needed interaction with teachers and classmates.
Meanwhile, he also suggested expanding counseling programmes to “make this term a better one.”
MoE: Means Test underway until month’s end
Confirming the Means Test will be done during April 12 to 30, the MOE yesterday invited parents/guardians of students who still do not have access to devices, to complete the form which is available at all government and government-assisted primary and secondary schools.
It can also be downloaded online.
In a release, the ministry claimed this was being done, “to determine the eligibility of students for allocation of laptop computers,” and for persons whose socio-economic circumstances had prevented them from being able to acquire one.
Persons who have not received a device either through private donation or the Adopt-A-School initiative are free to apply. Completed forms can be dropped off at respective schools.
Following concerns raised over the weekend by the NCPTA regarding students who were still without a device and may now be bypassed, the MOE said, “priority will be given to students previously identified as not having devices by schools, and those who demonstrate financial difficulty on the basis of information submitted on the Device Provision Form.”
The ministry has assured that every effort will be made to ensure that no child is offline as the country and world navigates the dynamic changes taking place in the education system.
Parents and guardians are urged to ensure the information submitted is accurate and complete so as to facilitate an efficient evaluation and allocation of devices.
NAPSPA embraces means test
Applauding the MOE’s Means Test to determine which students still require devices, head of the National Primary Schools Principals Association (NAPSPA) Carlene Hayes said, “I am happy to announce the ministry has resumed device distribution for Standard Five.”
Scheduled to collect for students at her school in the Victoria Education District today, the principal said device provision is the most critical factor for students right now.
Admitting the online engagement numbers may not have reached as high as 80 per cent, she estimated that this should increase during this week.
Claiming that yesterday’s attendance numbers might be connected to the disappointment faced by SEA students who were expecting to be able to return to the classroom, Hayes said, “This is where we are going to engage the Student Support Services to assist us in doing some counseling sessions with the students because they were looking forward to coming out.”
However, she added, “They are understanding because of COVID-19 and because cases are rising, they know it is not safe for them to come out. “
“We do not want to jeopardize safety for education of the students. We will try our best to reach students and prepare them for the exam as best as possible but not place the health and safety of both students and staff at risk.”