On Sunday last, this newspaper published in its ‘Women’s Chronicles’ column, the lamentations of a number of parents struggling with getting their children to do schoolwork and grappling with their own lack of ability to teach and to motivate them. But this uphill battle is not confined to Guyana, social media is rife with stories of brain-weary and exasperated parents – and memes depicting them – from all over the world, who are finding it difficult to partially or wholly homeschool their children, although not all of the stories are bad. And this just covers those who have access to the internet.
Education is among the systems that have been seriously disrupted by Covid-19. Schools and universities closed worldwide to protect children and students from becoming infected with the virus, which has been universally devastating. With necessity being the mother of invention, a great many schools all around the world were able to switch to using digital tools to continue imparting knowledge.
But as it is well known, the world is supremely unequal. So, while Covid-19 caused the same closures everywhere, responses have not had the same uniformity. In developed countries, the switch to online learning was swift. It was already in use to a great extent in many places as an alternative or an addition to brick and mortar schooling.
However, even in the developed world, not all homes have access to the tools required to facilitate remote learning. In the US, for example, the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported last month that more than 9 million children between the ages of 3 to 18 years old, did not have internet access at home. In some cases, this was because their parents or guardians did not see it as necessary, but mostly it was because they could not afford it or live in rural areas where internet connectivity is still unavailable. According to the NCES also, some 11 million children in the same age group either lack access to a laptop or desktop computer for home learning or must share a single device with siblings.
What is described in the NCES report likely exists all over the world with the only difference being the numbers of children affected. There have been heartwarming stories of teachers and other school personnel adapting and innovating to reach children who have effectively become shut-ins. These range from dropping off laminated, sanitised lessons at doorsteps and in mailboxes and teaching at a socially accepted distance in parking lots to delivering school lunches to children who would otherwise go hungry.
But even with all this, there are going to be extensive learning losses. As usual, the worst affected will be the poorest children, those who are most vulnerable. These would be the children who were already at a disadvantage when the pandemic forced shutdowns. In Guyana, they would be those children who have no access to textbooks and depended on being able to share with a classmate. There might be others who have no electricity at home but were previously able to study with a friend. Among them, too, would be those children who may have done well at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) or Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations if they had the hands-on guidance of their teachers. Their current circumstances mean they may no longer do so, and this could very well pivot them in the wrong direction.
There are those children, also, like the teenage son referred to in the ‘Women’s Chronicles’ column, who was already struggling in school, and owing to the setback dealt him by the pandemic has decided that he is not going back. In fact, an educator was quoted in the column as saying that a high number of dropouts is to be expected when schools reopen after Covid-19. This is perhaps the most sobering fact and it should be foremost among the questions the education system is seeking to answer before schools reopen.
Is there a way to rewire the system to keep dropouts at a minimum? Should the authorities be looking to expand current trade schools or open more? Other pressing questions include whether the NGSA and other exams should be suspended for a year. And what of early childhood education? The nursery schools’ curriculum has been built around action learning and social interaction. Surely there is a need to review this.
Many adults have been mentally affected by the stifling of what they regarded as their normal lives. It stands to reason then that children are doubly so, particularly those for whom school was a refuge. What systems can be put in place to cater for their psychological well-being?
As stated above, Covid-19 has dealt a serious blow to education. There will be no business as usual when schools reopen. Huge changes will have to be made and the education system reworked into one that can easily adapt in the event of another such occurrence.
