– St. Ignatius and BV record good turnouts

By Indrawattie Natram

SCORES of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) secondary school teachers and students, on Monday, returned to the classrooms and there were no reports of any first-day glitches.

Many braved the heavy rainfall and were observed entering school compounds as early as 7:00 am. Everyone complied with the existing national COVID-19 guidelines.

In an attempt to encourage hand washing, the regional administration through the Department of Education has constructed water trestles at all schools in the region. All learners and teachers are required to wash their hands before entering classrooms.

Schools countrywide were closed in early March last year after Guyana confirmed its first COVID-19 case. A decision was taken by the Education Ministry to re-open all secondary schools in early November, but only for students of Grade 10, 11 and 12 to attend. On December 18, they were closed to give students and teachers a two-week break.

At the Aurora Secondary School, Agriculture Science teacher, Hemwattie Bhawan, told the Guyana Chronicle that the atmosphere was calm and children were eager and happy to return.

Bhawan said she is happy that the Ministry of Education has decided to re-open schools as teachers have the opportunity to interact with their students in a classroom setting.

At Abram Zuil Secondary School, another Agriculture Science teacher, Munwattie Lillie, explained that the students are attending classes according to the timetable that was given to them.

She also expressed joy that parents have opted to send their children to school despite the existing fears about the pandemic.

Lillie informed that following the closure of schools, she used WhatsApp to communicate and teach her students. Now that they are in the classroom, the teacher said that she would be able to assess how much they have learnt while at home.

A number of students echoed similar sentiments. Aurora Secondary School student, Sasha Narine, said she couldn’t wait for the holidays to be over so that she could return to school.

She said she was tired of being at home and was happy that the ministry decided to re-open school.

Another student, Alliyah Mohammed, who attends the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School, said that she is overjoyed to be in her classroom and to reunite with her classmates.

This newspaper understands that most secondary schools have their timetables and different subjects are being taught at different times throughout the school day.

Regional Education Officer, Nichola Matthews, noted that all secondary schools in Region Two were reopened. No school was flooded. However, she said based on feedback, the attendance was not as expected and this could be attributed to the heavy rainfall in the region.

GOOD TURNOUT

Meanwhile, Guyana Chronicle spoke to two Essequibo-born teachers who are attached to schools outside of the region. They reported a good turnout and a smooth reopening at their respective schools.

Twenty-six-year-old Mahindra Sharma, Head of the Mathematics Department at Beterverwagting Secondary School, in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), said he feels good to physically be around his students, interacting and listening to how they spent their holidays.

“I feel very happy to see that our parents are taking the necessary steps to ensure their child is in school and is taking the necessary precautions. This means that our students and parents know the importance of education,” Sharma, a resident of Spring Garden Essequibo, said.

Sharma said he is working with the CSEC classes and finds it challenging since there is a lot of work that has to be done. Sharma said when schools were closed in March last year, he conducted classes via Zoom and also utilised Whatsapp. He confessed that the pandemic taught him how to effectively use technology in his field.

“I worked online and in some cases face to face with my teachers to ensure the mathematics curriculum was delivered properly. We work as a team and will continue to do so for our country,” he added.

Another Essequibo-born teacher, Nanresh Persaud, who teaches at the St. Ignatius Secondary School in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), said that he is impressed with the turnout of the students.

Persaud, a trained Mathematics teacher, said that he commenced classes with his students on Monday morning. Like the other teachers, Persaud said that he is prepared to work with his students to prepare them for their examinations despite the pandemic.

“The pandemic will be here for the longest while and, as such, we teachers need to adapt and continue to work together as one family to educate our children,” Persaud stressed.