Dear Editor,
Our Minister Manickchand is off and running at full speed in addressing the big issue of when and how to reopen our public schools. This is a complex decision that requires the voices of all stakeholders – including the health agencies and COVID task force, the teachers and the Guyana Teachers’ Union, the parents and their school boards, the students, the school administrators, the Ministry’s curriculum staff and senior administrators, GTT, Digicel, Guyana Learning Channel Trust and Education Television Broadcasting Services (ETBS), and the media.
Equally important is dialogue with the public transportation associations, water systems and food service suppliers and workers, the business community, and employees involved in school sanitation duties.
My own opinion is that in the regions where the incidence of COVID is low or nonexistent such as Region 6, with great vigilance, it is relatively safe to open schools, with proper supporting services and protocols in place. For high risk regions, a mixed model of face-to-face (using a shift system as may be necessary), remote learning using on-line methods and mailings of materials may be necessary. These are local control decisions. In the USA, remote learning as a widespread option is feasible because of the universal availability of internet connectivity, the abundance of digital tablets and computers, school staff with digital competencies, or the availability of coaches and professional development resources to bring staff up to speed in facilitating remote learning. Guyana does not have such capabilities at this point, and getting there will not be quick and easy. The PPP’s one laptop per family initiative should be restarted urgently.
The Ministry’s challenges require seasoned education practitioners and experts to help the ministry design a remote learning plan. The power is in the design and the ability of the ministry to do a rapid deployment. Remote learning is not merely the random mailing out of a few pieces of handouts just to say you have done something, if anybody asks what you are doing. It requires a more thoughtful, intentional, well-designed process. For a ministry that has no current updated National Education Plan, this is not assuring to the nation, and the public should now be asking the Ministry a ton of questions about these matters. If we don’t ask these questions now, our children’s education and nation’s future would be in great jeopardy.
The opening of schools in the high incidence, high risk areas, such as Regions 1, 4 and Region 7, is more problematic. Assuming that schools have adequate equipment for temperature screenings, supplies of face masks, PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment), social distancing markers and plans, management of available space, training of all staff to implement proper handwashing and sanitization protocols, we have to contend with the issue of our students and staff using public transportation to get to and from school. This poses a great risk for infection. Similarly, there is the whole area of school breakfast/nutrition programme, our water systems, road side vendors around the school yard selling snacks, and adding positions to each school to do the additional ongoing sanitization that would be required. Restricting visitors to schools is an easier fix. Students leaving campus during lunch time need to be restricted, and vendors may need to be restricted too. In the absence of nurses in every school, the Ministry may consider special training of people in the community to do screenings and school sanitization. This keeps students and schools safe and create additional jobs for community people. The national budget must allocate additional funds for the COVID response by schools.
I suggest that the government should consider getting out of the newspaper business and use the Chronicle as a “Newspaper in Education” initiative to provide learning materials for education. The redirection of the Chronicle in this manner can be a big boost to the Education Ministry. Guyana has enough good daily newspapers and the Chronicle can be repurposed to be of much use to the country. Even the bulk of the services of NCN and the community radio stations can be deployed to help the Ministry’s COVID response to deliver an equitable and high quality education at such a time as this. As the Minister reminded us, the Constitution requires this.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
