Dear Editor,
Clayon F. Halley wrote that “Considering world-wide trends it may not be prudent to re-open schools just yet.” In his opening paragraph, he intoned that “I believe that the government’s fixation on scoring political points has clouded their thought process and judgement, while exposing their policies and measures for what they are political gimmicks. It is quite obvious that this push to reopen physical school is not founded in any sound analysis of our COVID-19 situation, but rather a direct fulfillment of a political gimmick dubbed as “Because We Care.” Well, I am incensed that such an attack was made on the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government, and I herein present the very opposite to what Halley sought to foist on readers, even without debunking his political outburst.
First, in terms of the thrust of his missive, it is the very opposite that obtains, as regards what is trending in the ‘re-opening of schools’ debate. The body of evidence in the public domain is that various experts and task forces, manned by ‘scientific’ advisors and educators, have all agreed on one thing, that is, schools must be reopened, as the losses from school closures outweigh any benefits gained from a shutdown. I quote from a “Save the Children” survey of children and their families, to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on the access to health, education, livelihoods and protection, and to collect the views of children. The research was carried out in seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in terms of Education (as I want to zero in on this aspect), the following stark reality was discovered.
7 out of 10 children (70%) considered that they learned little during the pandemic; 5 out of 10 children (50%) required school materials; 4 out of 10 children (40%) indicated that they needed counselling; 3 out of 10 children (30%) mentioned that the teacher checked homework fewer than once a week; 3 out of 10 children (30%) did not know if they will return to school; and 4 out of 10 adults (40%) did not know if their children will go back to school. This is like a hell has been created already. In the United States, as preparations are continuing for safe in-person learning and welcoming students back to physical classrooms for the 2021-2022 academic year, key steps were outlined to help school communities remain safe and healthy during the return to school and beyond. I mention here the top four, and I am deliberately placing number one where it is: Everyone Ages 12 Years and Older Get Vaccinated Before School Begins; Make a Plan to Prevent COVID-19 from Spreading at School; Connect Students and Families to Nutritious School Meals; Help Students and Families Access Safe Transportation to School.
Two pediatricians, from Duke University School of Medicine, and a political scientist at Michigan State, after discussing the significance of prioritizing teachers for the vaccine and what it ultimately means for in-person learning, stated that “The choice to vaccinate all adults in schools—not simply teachers but anyone working in schools including those who transport students to campus—reduces the likelihood of their infection, which keeps the students with whom they interact safer and thus entire neighborhoods by extension. In this way, prioritizing adults in school for vaccination amounts to a public-health force multiplier.” Need I say more?
I inform Halley that some 170 countries over the world have managed to open schools, as they have overcome fear and logistical challenges to discharge their duties. In the United Kingdom, children returned to school in March and April 2021. In France, a third COVID-19 wave shuttered schools briefly around that time, but pupils were back in class by May. In the United States, more than half of all school districts had resumed full-time instruction by early June, and nearly all offered at least some in-person learning. I rest my case, but before doing so, I remind all that the United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO, estimated last year, that around 24 million schoolchildren will drop out as a result of the pandemic. Because they provide so many essential services in addition to learning, schools should be the last to close and the first to open, says Robert Jenkins, chief of education for the UN children’s charity UNICEF in New York City.
Sincerely,
Thomas Cole
