The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE president of the Bahamas Union of Teachers said it is “understandable” the government has delayed the face-to-face component for the reopening of schools next month.

However, she raised the issue of students’ access to the virtual learning platform and the impact it had on them.

“The concerns still exist as to how thousands of students who have not accessed education for almost two years will be accommodated,” Belinda Wilson said in a voice note sent to The Tribune.

“In addition to the thousands of students, there are hundreds of teachers who were and still aren’t able to utilise the Ministry of Education’s virtual platform. So the Bahamas Union of Teachers, we await the plans with full details as to how quality education will be delivered by all of our teachers to all of our students.

“A meeting is scheduled to address these academic concerns, but we’re still not convinced. The challenges and the glitches that have been experienced by teachers, students and parents with the Ministry of Education’s Learning Management System, the LMS, we’re not convinced that (those have) been properly addressed and corrected to ensure that as we continue in a virtual mode, that education will be successfully imparted to the thousands of students throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

“So, we await the information from the meeting to really see how we can best deal with all of these matters.”

Yesterday, education officials announced all public and private schools, including pre-schools and daycare facilities, may only reopen in January 2022 on a fully virtual basis.

In a release, the Ministry of Education stated officials “earnestly” pursued the reopening of schools on a hybrid basis in January, but plans shifted due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases.

“Further, the repair of schools has been undertaken on an accelerated basis with the ministry being given the assurance from contractors that all schools will be ready to receive students on January 11, 2022,” the release said.

“However, in light of what is being described as the country’s fourth wave of COVID-19, and acting on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training has decided that all public and private (including pre-schools and daycare facilities) may only reopen in January 2022 on a fully virtual basis (ie no in-person learning activities). This decision will be revisited within the next 14 days at which time a further assessment will be conducted in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“In the interim, the MOETVT will execute its plan for education recovery for those thousands of students who have been absent from school for a sustained period of time. Going forward, we will intensify our partnership with parents and guardians to ensure that our children are given the best possible opportunities to maximise their potential despite the myriad of challenges.”