#SpeakingOut – Suffer not the children

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today Inc.

by David Gill

About a year ago to be exact, this writer penned two letters to the dailies concerning (a) The  reopening of school and (b) reopening to tourists.

Little could one have seen then, that we would be back there now. In the words of Sir Lloyd, how did we get back there?

Simple, because we failed to respect SARSCOV2 virus, and dissed the associated sciences. The consequences have been costly, depressing, frustrating and wrought with angst.

A lot more is now known about the virus and the disease in respect of testing, therapeutics, preventative medicine (six inoculations developed at warped speed) and physical prevention.

Lives and livelihood have been the mantra justifying lockdown and economic reopening. The reopening of school, borders and the economy are all experiments, hence they all carry variables.

Some variables are controllable, others aren’t and there are those which creep in according to circumstances.

The high command must first internalise that there is no vaccine as yet in clinical use for our students, hence their vulnerability.

Secondly, that the phasic style followed in reopening the economy CANNOT be applied to reopening school. Horses of a different colour.

Thirdly, air quality (viral concentration) is paramount especially when dealing with the youth in gatherings. It demands vigorous spatial arrangement continuously controlled and monitored.

That the virus is not going anywhere in a hurry (a necessary ingredient for community spread) is real and that herd immunity is very much futuristic, it behoves us to leave the customary trodden path of schooling.

For example, a full class should not exceed a maximum of ten (10) pupils at a time.  Resulting in at least two (2) shifts per compound per day.  Groups A & B.

Group A from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. and B from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Need be, there will be a group C studying at home doing revision and assignments for the following day for the 8:30 – 11:30 shift as Group A moves to 12:30 – 3:30 and Group B now studying at home i.e. a daily revolving door.

Ideally, at any given time in a day only 1/3 of the roll would be on the compound, resulting in less than 1/3 of the entire school population in buses or bus stand since all children do not take the bus. No bus should exceed 50% capacity.

Now is the time to increase (not chop) both ancillary and teaching staff to cover anticipated stress loads related to student supervision and plant maintenance.

Write off the first four months as a loss and maximise the remaining eight. Target the next twelve weeks for solid classroom interaction.

Allocate July sittings for those only repeating C.X.C. and C.A.P.E. exams. Break at July 31, with the entire August a holiday month.

Return in September for three (3) months allocating October for first time C.X.C and C.A.P.E candidates’ exams as well as for eleven plus (11+) exams.

November will be the month for internal exams and all December a holiday.

Officialdom teacher and pupil must for the duration of the pandemic, disabuse their minds of a long vacation, Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity terms and readjust to opportunities and modules as the virus permits.

Be prepared for intermittent localised stoppages according to flare-ups of the virus.  We handled the Ellerslie situation reasonably well last year.

As it stands a new school year will therefore commence with a ‘new’ calendar year.

Right now, there is no road map to follow. Amend the Education Act, since the virus was not made for the Act, but more the Act for the virus.

David Gill (Biochemist – Medicinal Chemist) and a former Senator and M.P.