The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) has proposed that the Ministry of Education implements a system to strengthen virtual learning and expand educational outreach across the country while schools are closed.
Coretta McDonald, General Secretary of the GTU, yesterday told Stabroek News that the GTU’s position after meeting with Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Tuesday is to have a better formulated way of providing information across Guyana so that students can continue to benefit from online programmes while the reopening of schools is further analyzed for safety purposes. With the stakeholders’ views currently set on schools being closed for a while longer while the COVID-19 outbreak is closely observed, the Ministry has said that virtual teaching, whether by television, radio or other media, will be looked into as it is compulsory for students to continue learning since the new school year would have been starting in September.
McDonald yesterday said that they are looking at the manner in which the numbers of cases in the country have been increasing and view sending persons out to school as too risky. Hence, the online approach is being explored a bit more. McDonald said that while the decision is for the ministry to make, it is the one best supported as the GTU is strongly against the reopening of schools before November. She explained that currently schools are unprepared for such a decision and when schools do reopen, the GTU hopes that it is a phased reopening. This will entail the exam level students for both primary and secondary level returning first and then the rest following as time progresses.
For this reason, she said that improving the system that is already in place to ensure that education is reaching students in an efficient way is important. She mentioned that the learning channel, the radio broadcasts, the Ministry’s websites and gadgets which aid in connectivity should be utilised and it has been discussed between the Ministry and the GTU to use these systems to their advantage in providing as much information and as far as it can be reached for the students’ sake. The use of worksheets, she said, were also suggested.
The General Secretary also commended teachers for continuing to work with students utilising their own means. She said that because teachers are so dedicated to continue teaching even from home, she would hope that a system could be put in place to make internet access and data plans more easily accessible as they play a key role in maintaining the connection.
