Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says there is no specific policy on the education of forms four to six students who will not be returning to physical school on Monday because no “prescription” will fit every school.
However, she stress that clearly defined guidelines were given to schools after principals’ associations indicated to the ministry that their flexibility was important.
“It’s a difficult transition and they asked for that flexibility and we have given that with certain guidelines that they must make preparations to go the online and the physical. And we have asked them to give to us their individual school plans – their timetables, number of teachers they have, which teachers are straddling both lower and upper school – because we want to understand what they are doing, giving them that flexibility.”
Speaking at the Shop and Vaccinate initiative at the Brian Lara Promenade on Saturday morning, she said the deadline for the plans to be submitted to the ministry was on Friday but some schools needed more time. But the ministry would be looking closely to what was happening in the schools.
She added that as of Friday, 42,683 children 12-18 received their first dose of the Pfizer covid19 vaccine and 30,278 got their second dose.
She made the statement in response to a letter by Vijay Maharaj, acting secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha.
He said, “We are concerned that there is no clear proactive policy (neither short term nor long term) being articulated by the government and/or the Ministry of Education in terms of how the education system will be adapted and/or transitioned so as to function for the maximum benefit of students during the pandemic and post pandemic era which we are no doubt all looking forward to.
“Now that the delta variant is well within our shores and casts doubt over the overall vaccination effort to date, we have to continue our conversation with the introduction of some more in-depth discussions into the welfare of our nation’s children.”
He said the return to physical classrooms was “a first step in the direction” of learning to live with covid19. He encouraged the government to prepare the population for the roll out of vaccines for children five years and over for when the time comes.
Maharaj also expressed concerns about the lack of devices and connectivity for students.
He said previously the ministry invited parents of primary school students to apply for laptops through the schools but there were issues contacting the parents, getting all the personal information required submitted in the time allotted, and some parents did not qualify even though they were in need.
“Devices are only recently being offered to students on pre-packaged roll and parents who have been purchasing data plans and borrowing devices to ensure their children are in classes are not being considered for laptops or connectivity opportunities.
“Although devices have been given to selected pupi
