Home » Posts » #BTColumn – Adapting to change is vital

#BTColumn – Adapting to change is vital

by Barbados Today
7 min read
A+A-
Reset

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

Our educational system opens back up for a new school year amidst the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It isn’t going to be easy but it is extremely necessary that we get our students back to a learning environment. How that environment is configured is the major concern.  But it must be done and will probably go through several modifications as the term progresses and/or as situations change.

One hundred years ago, during the Spanish flu pandemic, the world did not have the technology or the benefits of internet to provide alternative ways of learning. People then had to adapt and so they did. The world didn’t come to an end nor did it stop, it continued moving along and people reorganized and restructured their lives to suit the situation.

The same is being asked and expected of us today. We rise to our challenges by looking for the opportunities and the pathways that can help get us safely through this health crisis.

For our learning we have more opportunities available to us today than previous generations had access to. We can learn online via virtual platforms. It is the new norm and many of us are getting accustomed to it. The Covid-19 crisis has certainly made us re-look at the way we do so many things in our lives. If we don’t embrace the change that is necessary, we run the risk of getting left behind.

I accept not everyone can afford or have access to the technology that is required and that is where benevolent organizations will have to focus their attention. The old adage of teaching a person to fish rather than just giving them a fish to eat will have to be utilized in giving those who require the skills and the tools to help them navigate the new methods of learning.

Barbados, as is seen from several Government initiatives, is being positioned to fully exploit the changing dynamics in the world as brought about by this pandemic. The Barbados Welcome Stamp is an excellent programme that positions this island amongst nations of the world in facing the pandemic and coming up with doable and practical solutions. Solutions that benefit our country and its people. Let us take full advantage to make ourselves ready for the new norm. Re-inventing ourselves and our skill sets is what is absolutely required at this juncture.

I noted with great joy a news report on NBC of a group of Yale college students taking full advantage of remote learning this fall semester by choosing to stay in Barbados for the period of time and work from here.

Remote learning, remote workers, online education, online jobs and online meetings all new terminologies we have to get used to hearing and encountering.

The pandemic has thrown up serious challenges but has given us many opportunities to do things in a different, better and more productive manner.

Our educational authorities and teachers must be commended and fully supported for doing their best to ensure there is a safe and appropriate learning environment for all the students. It is definitely not an easy task and some students and parents will have difficulties dealing with the new arrangements. It will require extreme patience in dealing with the complications and the disruptions. Focus on the results and jump the hurdles along the way, don’t let the hurdles distract from the finishing line. Don’t ever let despair take root.

The world is not the same as it was and will probably never be the same coming out of this pandemic. Human nature sadly doesn’t change that radically. Some of us will embrace the change and grasp the opportunities given by the challenges, others will complain bitterly about the change and do nothing but just that, complain, and others will just be observers like spectators in an arena watching whatever is played out.

Getting our families, communities, clubs, associations, schools, businesses and religious institutions to adopt and adapt to the changes will be our priority for survival and growth going forward. Remaining stagnant is not an option. We will have to help those who lack the means in getting access to the new technologies and as I mentioned earlier charitable groups will have to include empowering people in this regard.

Finding what we have as an asset, as a tool, as a resource, capable of harnessing and utilizing to make viable options possible is our task at hand. Each and every Barbadian has the capacity to make things happen as long as we believe we can.  We have the same amount of talent and stamina as any other human being in any part of the world. Our small land size should never restrict us from thinking big. Our limited resources must never stop us for reaching to the stars. Our strength of resolve and resilience will get us through as it has done over the years. We put our faith in the Almighty and we set about the task of building up our lives and our communities and ultimately our Nation.

This Covid-19 pandemic has given way to many learning opportunities online. New skills, different languages, a world of education now available by the touch of a button. We just have to make the time and effort and we can learn so much.  And our age should not prevent us from learning. The idea that education is only for young people is false. We can learn at any age and benefit. There is a command in my faith to “seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave”. We should never stop learning, and it doesn’t have to be in any formal setting. It can be in as informal a setting that you can imagine and still be able to learn.  Online education now allows us to be in the comfort of our homes in whatever manner of dress we wish and still be learning the same thing we would be learning if we were seated in a prestigious hall of some grand university or school. We have options and opportunities – grab hold of them.

Malcolm X said it best: “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

Suleiman Bulbulia is a Justice of the Peace; Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association; Muslim Chaplain at the U.W.I, Cave Hill Campus and Chair, Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. Email: suleimanbulbulia@hotmail.com

You may also like

About Us

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

Useful Links

Get Our News

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

BT Lifestyle

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Accept Privacy Policy

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00