THE COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way education is being delivered to our children, especially in the hinterland and Amerindian villages.
In St. Cuthbert’s Mission, the lone Amerindian village in Region Four, weekly worksheets are provided to students to assist with home learning.
Head of the English Department at the St Cuthbert’s Secondary School, Verona Persaud, explained that this mode of teaching was used since there is limited access to Internet service and television, even though the village is located within a coastal region.

The students would uplift their worksheets on Mondays and hand in their books on Fridays to be checked by their respective teachers.
Persaud said that the Education Ministry has provided ink and paper for the printing of the materials, and the teachers along with the parents are actively involved in ensuring the students complete their work for the Christmas term.

Persaud pointed out that a small number of students have not been uplifting their worksheets and that matter was reported to the Education Department and the Village Council. The Education Department has since advised that once a specific period has passed and the children don’t show up, the Welfare Officer will be called in. Nevertheless, Persaud reported that this new system has been working smoothly.

Because of the digital divide that exist between the hinterland and coastland, the government has created alternative ways to engage school-aged children in the hinterland during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as school remain closed.

Over the past week, the Ministry of Education, with support from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, distributed worksheets to students in Regions One, Seven and Eight so that classes can resume for the new school term through whatever method works best.