AFTER more than one year of school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting measures geared at reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus, schools are expected to reopen tomorrow.

This reopening is against the backdrop of substantial learning losses that took place while children were forced into online learning during the ongoing pandemic. In fact, the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has dubbed the 2020/ 2021 academic year one of the hardest, if not the hardest year for education delivery in Guyana.

But, there were practical responses to the challenge, including creating and distributing worksheets and textbooks to all learners. Efforts were also made to expand the Guyana Learning Channel into rural and hinterland communities so that learners could benefit from the educational content that was being created.

Still, the local education authorities agree that there have been significant learning losses, starkly illustrated by the more than 500 children who did not sit the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) in August, though they were registered to.

At a recent ceremony, UNICEF representative Nicolas Pron explained that the extended closure of schools could have an adverse impact on children, especially the most vulnerable children who have limited access to online learning and may be exposed to violence, abuse, and neglect.

And, he warned: “The longer children remain out of school, the less likely they are to return.”

The way I see it, it is not just that internet and electricity challenges have impacted access to online learning, but it is also the ability of children to be engaged while at home; it is their access to devices and the structure and attention afforded to them in a classroom setting. These are not issues that can be solved overnight and certainly not in a few months in a pandemic.

And so, the decision has been made to reopen schools — not universally, but on an individualised basis. The Education Ministry said that based on the space and circumstances at each school, individualised measures will be applied to ensure the safety of all.

The conversation on the reopening of schools also encompasses a key aspect: vaccination of key -teachers and children.

Vaccination has been touted as an integral aspect in the reopening of schools to ensure that the children and teachers are kept safe. Becoming vaccinated with COVID-19 also reduces an individual’s chances of getting seriously ill or even hospitalised with the disease COVID-19.

However over the past two weeks, vaccination has been extended to children aged 12 to 17 years old in Guyana. This was made possible due to a donation of more than 146,000 doses of the US-made Pfizer vaccines. The rollout of these vaccines has already gotten underway, with hundreds of children already in receipt of their first dose.

Previously, though, we saw that there was a lull or a slowing down when those adults who wanted the vaccines had already been inoculated. Thereafter, the challenge became convincing those who were hesitant or outright opposed to the COVID-19 vaccines to get vaccinated. It remains to be seen whether this will happen this time around or whether parents will all agree that their children need to be protected.

For now, though the Ministry of Education is strongly encouraging parents to give consent for their children to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, unvaccinated children will not be prevented from attending physical classes when schools are reopened.

Generally, COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory. The education ministry stated that parents who choose not to send their children to school on the days they are scheduled to attend will be enjoined to ensure that those children are continuously engaged at home.

Still, the other key stakeholders- teachers- have to be considered. There is a wider push for vaccination nationally, but one would expect (at least, I expect) that teachers too would be educated and encouraged to take the COVID-19 vaccines.

The ministry has said that teachers who do not wish to take any of the COVID-19 vaccines will be required to submit the results of a PCR COVID-19 test intermittently, showing that they have not been infected with the novel coronavirus.

But, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), has disagreed with this and instead called for the PCR tests to be done for free. Otherwise, if teachers are barred from entering schools because they are unvaccinated and do not present these tests, the union said it would pursue legal action.

While that aspect of the reopening conversation evolves, I think it important for us all to appreciate the learning loss that has plagued children across all levels, across Guyana, and really think about why getting them back into schools is crucial.

It is not only that they need to be back in those schools but it is that we have to think about preventing a surge in school dropouts and it is about ensuring that children can learn and develop themselves. Simultaneously, the reopening of schools must be done in ways that ensure that children and teachers are kept safe because learning loss would matter much less if any child or teacher is hospitalised.

I genuinely hope that all eligible people, children included, can get vaccinated so that we can have a safer return to schools and to life generally.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss COVID-19, this column, or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com