Another COVID-19 blow to Education sector

The Education Ministry and, by extension, the Government, has done a remarkable job over the past months in terms of the partial reopening of schools and for learning to continue for students across the country.
No one should underestimate the level of planning and the kind of resources that are needed to ensure that academic learning continues and students and teachers are safe in these challenging times.
The Education Ministry has managed to open schools for Grades 6, 10, 11 and 12 (primary four, fourth, fifth and sixth forms) to allow those students to prepare for their exams. These students have already missed out on a significant amount of academic work, and certainly, the partial reopening has proven to be a challenge in terms of completing the syllabus.
But as the COVID-19 death toll and new cases skyrocket across Guyana, this sector has now taken a major blow with the cancellation of the National Grades Two, Four and Nine assessments and placement examinations.
We agree with Chief Education Officer (CEO) Dr Marcel Hutson, who made the announcement on Thursday evening, that the need for students to be safe is of paramount importance.
There are a few who had hastily criticised the Ministry for moving ahead with the partial reopening of schools without offering any proper alternative. However, we believe that Education Minister Priya Manickchand was correct in pointing out that school doors cannot remain closed forever. Learning needs to continue, but certainly with taking all the necessary health precautions very seriously.
We have noted that the Ministry has been very thorough in terms of putting systems in place to prevent persons from contracting the virus. However, like many other countries, there was no guarantee that persons would be free from getting infected. And this was exactly the case when the administration of Queen’s College was forced to suspend classes for two weeks after an auxiliary staff tested positive for COVID.
It could be recalled that prior to the reopening of schools, the Ministry held a number of consultations with the Health Ministry, medical professionals, CXC, head teachers, teachers, the Guyana Teachers’ Union, parents, students and other stakeholders to discuss and consider the relevant issues relating to the pandemic.
At the moment, it is mandatory for every student, teacher and member of the auxiliary staff to wear a face mask in Guyana. Everyone is also being temperature tested before being allowed entry into the school compound. Students were also supplied with safety kits and are being given the necessary support, etc, to cope with the changing learning environment.
While it is not the ideal situation, the Education Ministry must be commended for the work it has done to ensure learning continues. It should be noted that Guyana is one of the few developing countries in the world that have given this kind of support to students and teachers in spite of the scarcity of resources.
That said, in light of the changes that are being made due to COVID-19, educators would have to adapt very quickly and ensure that students are not left behind. The failure of students must not be an option, hence the important role of the head teachers, regional education officials, and even parents.
Through effective leadership, coupled with sound management, head teachers and their senior staff must be able to cope with the changes that are being forced upon us in order to effectively transform the performance of students.
Good managers know that planning and organisation are critical to success, and it is important that every school adopts this approach. The best performing schools often have better organised and prepared teachers.
Additionally, the Education Ministry, and Government as a whole, must constantly review approaches to education delivery and management. Doing so would not only allow for improved results at the national and regional examinations, but would contribute to churning out competent and capable individuals who can adapt easily to tertiary education or the working environment.
Further, it is clear that parents have a greater role to play in their children’s education. Now that children spend most of their time at home, it is in their parents’ interest to monitor their children to ensure that they are gainfully occupied. Parents must not leave their children’s education to teachers and the Education Ministry alone. They must understand that their role is as important as the education administrators.