Parents to work with children
Schools will be closed for five weeks. They are expected to reopen by April 20
Schools will be closed for five weeks. They are expected to reopen by April 20

– learning materials provided by Education Ministry during closure of school

By Tamica Garnett
WITH the announcement that school will now remain closed straight into the Easter vacation, which will see students remaining home for a total of five weeks, several parents are grateful for the free educational information learning platforms being provided by the Ministry of Education (MoE) during this time.

Schools have been closed since March 16, as a preventative measure following the country’s first recorded case of the coronavirus/COVID-19 virus on March 11. This also saw the postponement of upcoming national exams such as the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and CXC examinations.

In their attempt to mitigate the gap in learning, the MoE has since been providing interactive learning media via television, on the Learning Channel; on the radio; and on their website.

“I’m somewhat relieved that the burden is not left on the parents and teachers only. Having options helps us determine which methods best suit our children for better learning, and even better suit us because sometimes we also have to revise in order to teach them, especially if a new method is being taught to them,” shared a mother with two primary school-aged children.

Though her children attend private schools in the city, she lauded the MoE for taking the decision to close the schools. Both private and public schools have shuttered.

“It assures me that the health and wellbeing of the nation’s future are important. If they had not closed I would have taken my children out of school anyway,” she said.
In addition to utilising the materials provided by the MoE, the mother shared that she has also been reaching out to her children’s teachers to ensure she does her part to work with her children during their period home.

“I am home from this week [so] I am making an effort to do revision with them. It won’t be easy given the teachers are trained for this and we aren’t. But this time has reminded me of the sacrifices our teachers make and it has given me the opportunity to strengthen the bonds with my children,” she said.

WORK WITH CHILDREN
She is encouraging other parents to not let the time period go by idly and to work with the children as much as they can.

Following an initial announcement that schools were going to be closed for two weeks from March 16, last Monday the ministry announced that schools will remain closed straight into the Easter. Schools will reopen on April 20.

This measure was implemented as a means of social distancing, one of the main measures advised in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the coronavirus has spread to 196 countries infecting and causing over 18,000 deaths since the first outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

Vanessa Gordon, who has two children in Grades Nine and Six, thinks the measures are helpful but noted that she does not have Internet to access the online material and will not have the time to follow the television and radio programmes. Nonetheless, she said she has been working with her children, particularly her child in Grade Six.

“It’s fine what they are trying to do but we do not have access to Internet to use the website provided. We have the past-papers package for the last 10 years, so we are working on that. I can do revision based on what the teachers have given and the text books he has. If I had Internet it would have been easier,” she said.

Father of one, Seon Tugwell, said he believes that notwithstanding the MoE doing its part, parents are key to ensuring the initiative achieves its aim.

“I admire the steps taken and the efforts put out to make these measures available; it’s a great initiative and will bear much fruit if the parents or guardians help to interpret these programmes. However, if that doesn’t happen, it will prove to be futile,” Tugwell said.
He shared that: “I have used the radio broadcasts a few times and have seen the television once or twice.”

ACCESS TO LEARNING MATERIALS
On the website, the MoE is currently offering NGSA practice papers as well as textbooks for the nursery, primary and secondary school levels.

The ministry has also provided links to a number of other learning websites, including Khan Academy, Math Games, and Fun Fonix, among others.

On the Learning Channel (Channel 42/Cable 29), the period from 06:00hrs to 15:00hrs is designated to specific learning programmes across the three school levels.

The schedule starts with the nursery and primary school programmes, which run for three hours each. This is followed by one hour of documentaries while the remaining time is allotted to the secondary school programmes.

There are radio broadcasts for Grades 1 – 3 from 09:30hrs to 13:30hrs which is being aired at stations across the country, including radio stations in Madhia, Bartica, Essequibo, Mabaruma, Lethem and Annai.

Broadcasts for Grades 3 – 6 are aired daily on NCN Radio from 13:00hrs. The Education Ministry is also reminding that NGSA materials are provided in the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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