EDUCATION RECOVERY: Some 8000 students to be tracked down and targeted in learning loss program – EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Minister of Education Glenys Hanna-Martin said yesterday that the ministry intends to directly target some 8,000 students who were inactive on the virtual learning platform throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in order to design education recovery strategies for their learning loss.

Hanna-Martins comments came as officials advised that the reopening of schools will be postponed for two weeks due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Public schools were set to reopen for hybrid learning on January 11.

In an interview with Eyewitness News, she explained that officials are collecting the necessary data to track down those students believed to have been out of school during the nearly two-years-long pandemic.

We are in the process of identifying who these children are and which schools they are registered in, with a view to targeting each child, Hanna-Martin said.

Education officials are expected to meet on Friday to address these concerns and the way forward on several other key issues.

Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) President Belinda Wilson said yesterday that it is understandable that the face-to-face component for the reopening of school has been delayed amid the new Omicron variant.

The concern still exists as to how the thousands of students who have not accessed education for almost two years will be accommodated, Wilson said.

In addition to the thousands of students, there are hundreds of teachers who were and still are unable to utilise the MOE virtual platform

The Bahamas Union of Teachers awaits the plans as to how quality education will be delivered by all of our teachers to all of our students.

In the initial rollout of the virtual learning platform, there were criticisms that it had shortcomings, including a lack of stability when thousands finally registered.

We are still not convinced that the challenges and the glitches that have been experienced by teachers, students and parents, with the Ministry of Education learning management system, Wilson continued.

We are not convinced that that has been properly addressed and corrected, to ensure that as we continue in a virtual mode that education will be successfully imparted to the thousands of students throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

She added that the union awaits the details to be garnered from the upcoming meeting with education officials and the plans to address all concerns.

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EDUCATION RECOVERY: Some 8000 students to be tracked down and targeted in learning loss program - EyeWitness News