EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin is hopeful the Ministry of Health and Wellness will allow students to participate in full-time face-to-face instruction as opposed to the hybrid model currently in place.
She told the media the pandemic’s effect on education has been quite severe with data showing significant learning loss.
“Of course that has serious implications for the future of these children. Everything tells us face-to-face is how to maximise the educational experience of children and so to get them back in the classroom was a very important step, however now it’s only at 50 percent,” she said yesterday during a northern primary school district walkabout.
“We’re hoping now that the Ministry of Health and Wellness will allow us to get children in full time and we’re now in the process of developing a diagnostic test. They’re sending out an RFP on that so that we can test every child, understand where every child is positioned academically, socially, psychologically may be an issue also. Then thereafter develop acceleration programmes to try and bridge the gap that has been created by COVID-19 in the last two years in this country.”
Public school students have been using the government’s virtual learning platform during most of the pandemic. Asked if the ministry will do away with its Learning Management System (LMS), Ms Hanna Martin noted that “technology, virtual reality is a factor for education and it’s a tool.”
“Unfortunately it is one we had to be solely reliant on and that became complicated. What the Ministry of Education has been seeking to do with the Learning Management System is to develop an indigenous system for The Bahamas and for the ministry. One that also secures data. We do a lot of things in this country and it’s not based on data. We’re not data friendly it appears. What is happening in the Ministry of Education is they are compiling data. “So every child, every attendance, grades—the whole mix of the child’s involvement in education in terms of the external statistics are there, that helps to create policy. . .”
As for national examinations, the minister said she has asked the director of education to advise what is the correct approach on this issue.
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Comments
tribanon 2 years, 7 months ago
Her claim to fame as a politician was always her father's coat-tails combined with her loud mouth. She has done and accomplished nothing of any significance for the Bahamian people and her constituents over her decades long career as an politician. The people living in her constituency are much worse off today than they were decades ago when she was first elected to represent them. Talk about suckers for punishment!
sheeprunner12 2 years, 7 months ago
MOE is like an old car ..... Hope that you can find replacement parts to pass inspection to keep it on the road for another year ...... Without serious institutional reform, it's a race to the bottom for most public school students now. School officials can only do so much. Parents are either not checking, aware or interested in their children's education.
bahamianson 2 years, 7 months ago
Lets staybto hybrid, the traffic is terrific. No complaints here. Also, we are moving to a computerized society anyway , so we might as well get used to it.
TigerB 2 years, 7 months ago
This woman was always Engleston MP, all thru the last 5 years.. so can someone tell me why she is just now walking her constituency now and complaining that they didn't go to school for 2 years...So you have to be an MP in order to show concern about your people for your area?
M0J0 2 years, 7 months ago
only way hybrid will be 100 percent successful is if the gov. will supply free wifi and free devices. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford such things.
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