Education minister: We will not rest until we can get children back in classrooms safely
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Amid the nation’s fourth wave of the coronavirus and concerns about large clusters of cases, the Ministry of Education has decided to postpone the reopening of schools by two weeks as a precaution and to review the rate of infections during that period.
All schools, including private institutions, preschools and daycare facilities, will be limited to virtual learning.
In-person learning was expected to begin on January 7.
We will intensify our partnership with parents and guardians to ensure that our children are given the best possible opportunities to maximize their potential despite the myriad of challenges.
– The Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training
According to a statement from the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training (MOETVT), the decision will be revisited within the next 14 days with a further assessment from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
“In the interim, the MOETVT will execute its plan for education recovery for thousands of students who have been absent from school for a sustained period of time,” read the statement.
“Going forward, we will intensify our partnership with parents and guardians to ensure that our children are given the best possible opportunities to maximize their potential despite the myriad of challenges.”
During a Ministry of Health press conference yesterday, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Michael Darville said: “It is not, in our view, a good thing to open schools in the middle of a pandemic, and so, we have decided to wait and act with a degree of caution to ensure that we open and when we do open, we open so that we can stay open.”
Minister of Education Glenys Hanna-Martin said the ministry has pushed for schools to reopen with face-to-face learning, noting that children have been learning via virtual platforms for nearly two years.
There have been concerns among stakeholders, including the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT), about the learning gap being created by the lack of in-person classes and the growing amount of sporadic participation on the virtual learning platform
“Unfortunately, we will not be able to have children in on [a] face-to-face basis,” she said.
She added: “This is a very challenging time for education in our country and we are seeking very earnestly to see how we can minimize this disruption. We can do it.
“We are facing some challenges and some obstacles, but we will not rest until we have done all that we can to ensure that despite all of the things that are beyond our control, that we…will get children back in the classrooms.
“But we want to do it safely.”
During the press conference, Hanna-Martin advised that school repairs have been accelerated and schools are expected to be ready as of January 11.
Loading ...
