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Students to minister: We want face-to-face classes

by Barbados Today
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Fearing they may be falling behind in their studies, pupils and students from all the nation’s primary and secondary schools, both public and fee-paying, told Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw on Monday they want to go back to school.

The minister met with students on the way forward for classes in a COVID-19 environment to seek their feedback on the current system and how it can be improved. Most of the island’s schools were represented at the meetings held at the Wildey Gymnasium.

Bradshaw, who spoke to the media briefly after her session said: “The sessions today were focused on giving students the opportunity to share some of their experiences and some of the challenges they have been experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Generally the children enjoyed the opportunity to engage at that level. Certainly, my team as well enjoyed the opportunity to listen to them and to allow them to speak candidly about some of the things that are affecting them.”

The education minister then revealed that students at both levels wanted to get back into the classroom permanently.

Bradshaw said: “We had a wide cross-section of views being shared and primarily at the primary level the concern has been that students want to return to school. It is fair to say that at the secondary level they want to return to school.

“It is not to say that there are not good things that have come from being in a blended approach or an online environment but I think children are generally missing that interaction. that face to face with the teachers.

“Many of them expressed that there are some households where it is very difficult for them to engage in the online environment. There are lots of distractions whether it is parents or neighbours there is a lot of noise in the background making it very difficult for them to concentrate. As a consequence, they feel as if they are falling behind.”

Bradshaw said that a number of areas were explored in order to find a solution for those preparing for the Common Entrance Examination and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams.  The ministry was now considering recommendations to extend the school day or provide additional lessons.

“The ones who are doing the 11 plus there is a lot of anxiety from them as well as the ones who are doing CXC. In both situations, they are being prepared everyday for an examination at the end of their tenure at school. In addition to all the pressures in dealing with an exam, they are also being asked to deal with a COVID pandemic. There are lots of stresses that are coming from our students.”

The minister explained that many of the students who attended were student leaders. She said that they were able to solicit some of the views of the students at their schools, prior to the meeting.

She said: “I think the students went away feeling a sense of inclusion. Normally, our consultations are with the unions, the principals, the teachers directly, they are sometimes with the parents. But often we forget that the children are the ones who are the beneficiaries of education.

“If we get it wrong and don’t listen to them obviously they will feel disillusioned by the entire experience of school. It is important that they leave here feeling the ministry cares, the minister cares, the Government cares and that we are able to modify some of what we are doing to make the school system better for them.”

According to Bradshaw, one major plus was that students saw first hand the value of having a functioning students’ council at their school.

“They are student councils at some of the schools, there are none at others,” the education minister said. “I think some of them today realise there is a purpose for having student councils and having a voice. So after the session today many of them wanted to go back to school, spread the word and start up students’ councils.” (IMC)

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