FATHER’S FURY OVER LACK OF LESSONS FOR KIDS
AFATHER whose teenage daughter attends a Glasgow secondary school has raised concerns about the lack of education available during lockdown.
The man, who does not wish to be named, says his daughter who is going into third year at St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School only receives 30 minutes of schoolwork a day, with teachers unable to teach over Zoom because of alleged security risks.
He claims that despite not allowing staff to use the social media platform, Glasgow City Council has been using it to discuss how best to provide the children an education.
The local authority says it does not use Zoom for security reasons and that schools have been trying different ways in which to engage with children and young people by using digital platforms like GLOW. It has also been connecting with the pupils who have already been part of the connected learning and iPad roll-out across the city.
Our source said: “I am very unhappy with the situation. It all started when I asked the headteacher of my daughter’s school if tutorials could be held over Zoom. But I was told this wasn’t an option because Zoom is not a secure platform. Having teachers give lessons over a webcam would help their education.
“My daughter is going into third year next week and I am really concerned about this. The council says the digital planning has been successful and effective but where is the evidence that supports this?”
Our source also says he was told that there were no plans in place to have digital classes because some pupils were not engaging with the work already being sent home.
He argues that if Zoom is not an option, social network system Microsoft Teams, which is installed in school iPads, should be used instead.
He continued:
“I want to know what will be done to help those who are completing their assignments and value their education. I am an IT consultant and I know that Zoom is secure. If the council can use it to host meetings, why can’t the children be taught over it?
“I understand there was a breach in security, but this is not the same thing and the site does have an encryption. As a result, I don’t think Glasgow pupils are getting the education they deserve.
“We have been in lockdown for two months and my daughter, who is very ambitious, hasn’t had enough schoolwork. She likes school and learning and wants to do well in her education, but she is lucky if she gets 30 minutes of work a day.”
Glasgow City Council says that teachers and school staff are working in challenging circumstances to provide the best education for their pupils remotely.
A spokeswoman said: “Each school will be doing something different to meet the needs of their school community and this includes online resources, learning packs delivered to homes and digital connections where possible.
“We are very aware that not all families have the same digital resources or ability to take part in online lessons and this is something that’s been recognised nationally.
“When the lockdown hit we were halfway through the roll-out of our digital connected learning programme to primary and secondary teachers and pupils and will now try to accelerate and prioritise this.
“It’s not, however, just the case of handing out devices – both pupils and teachers need to be supported.”