We are not ready for reopening of school in September 2020

that the Ministry of Education officials are engaging Headteachers on a phased reopening of schools. This is ludicrous and unacceptable. What was the thought that went into suggesting that the reopening should start with Grades 5 to 10? That doesn’t make sense to me particularly when Nursery-aged children are at a critical junction of intellectual development. The focus has been on Primary and Secondary students; nobody is talking about those at the Nursery or Technical levels.

I strongly believe that the Education Ministry had and probably still has the opportunity, to work along with the Ministry of Public Telecommunications to provide efficient virtual educational opportunities for all students. Many schools have Wi-Fi access. Put it to good use. Equip teachers with tablets and utilize the systems that are already in

schools. Don’t let the millions of dollars that were spent to install this relevant piece of technology go to waste.

In closing I would like to plead with the Education officials to get their act together. The educational advancement of this nation is at stake. The educational foundation of our students has been shaken and is now weak. We need to fix this and it has to be fixed fast.

On a scale of one to ten (one being the lowest and ten, the highest), we are at two. We are not ready for the reopening of school in September 2020.

Yours faithfully, Africo Selman Grade Six Teacher Former Member of Parliament