EDITORIAL: Back to school

TODAY, thousands of children will begin a new normal of school as the new term starts across the island.

This onslaught of movement of students to return to the classrooms after the premature end of the second term of the previous school year, represents the biggest test of the established protocols which govern activities during these COVID-19 pandemic times in this country.

We in this country have managed the response to the virus very well to date, but this reopening of schools will be the next biggest test of our resolve and the measures which have been put in place.

Students will be moving from place to place, after being mostly kept in place for what was essentially the third term (in normal times). COVID-19 and the resulting shutdown/lockdown eliminated school in the traditional sense, but a variation of online learning was put in place to handle CXC and A’ Level assessments.

With a return to in-person assessment, teachers will have to quickly find out what level their students will be in. How much have they retained and applied to their ongoing understanding of information, especially not the in-school plants which these structured assessments will take place, in normal times.

It means that our outstanding teachers will have to make their assessments in short order to ascertain how much they will have to re-imagine and that will determine how the form level curriculum can be quickly laid out and the structured teaching will begin.

Protocols

The school plants will then become microcosms of wider society. Social distancing will take place with hand-sanitising stations being put in place at various points throughout the school. Protocols governing how students interact will have to be explained to the children in ways that they can understand.

Physical activity will have to be planned in a way to ensure that protocols are maintained.

Travelling to and from school will have challenges. With limited capacity on buses and PSVs at present, can the system handle the increase of commuters? Can the social distancing protocols be maintained safely?

Government has announced a series of protocols which are designed to protect all of those who will be on the compound. Initially, it will take time for those who will have to navigate ‘this new normal’ to come to grips with how the schools will function.

The blended approach of new timing for classes will be an adjustment, which will have to be managed within the system. Teachers will have to adapt to this new approach, which replaces the traditional set timing schedule with lunch and physical activity. It will take some adjustment.

Finally, we need answers about the delay of some schools not being ready on time. In 2019, 21 schools opened late and we continue to see this reality. This does little to inspire confidence within the system and students will be struggling to make up time, while others are starting school within the system. Someone needs to answer for this challenge and the buck should stop at the Minister, who should be on top of matters related to their Ministry.

The proof will be shown in the first few days of the new school term.