Online learning still awaits liftoff while students languish

It looks like we will be welcoming 2021 with our education system failing us once again — after another week off for students without any online learning opportunities.

Here’s the thing. The Department of Education and the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) have been planning for online learning since March — or at least that’s what they have claimed.

According to HRCE’S email of March 20, “Beginning Monday, and over the next week, we will work with staff in schools to make specific plans to support students and learning during this closure. Supporting students at all levels to continue learning at home is a priority for us.”

The last day the schools were open in the 2019-20 school year was March 13. At-home learning packages were sent home on April 8. This means that during this time, teachers and administrators were given 17 professional development days to organize a learning program.

Because there was minimal leadership or regulations for this plan, educational opportunities were based solely on the individual teacher. Online learning ranged from Google meetups and online support for some students to absolutely no guidance or learning for others. Some schools even went as far as stating that no new outcomes would be taught because not all students have the same access to technology.

What? Should we also remove all library books and keep only those that every student is capable of reading? Should we alter gym classes and only play games where all kids excel?

The Department of Education should be embarrassed. If education cannot continue unless everyone has the same access to technology, the department needs to get to work to ensure this happens.

When questioned about how these children were going to get back on track for fundamental literacy and math skills, the response from HRCE was essentially “it will be OK because everyone will be behind.”

Is anyone else feeling a bit angry yet that this is the best the Department of Education can do with your hardearned tax dollars?

And remember what happened on June 5? HRCE told us school would be ending for the year — more than three weeks earlier than the original end-ofschool date. Why were these 16 days not used as professional development days? Instead, taxpayers kindly gave these educators a paid extended summer holiday.

Students have been back in school now for 68 days (or less depending on whether your school was shut down at any point).

HRCE has already dedicated 2.5 days to professional development since September. Now moving into 2021, the department has the audacity to start the year off with yet another five professional development days?

After seven phone calls to HRCE and the Department of Education looking for an answer as to how and why this decision was made, it was finally conveyed that the province needed more time — more time to work on programming, more time to focus on blended learning, more time to ensure safety. Since March, they have had nothing but time.

Maybe it’s time to make our education system accountable — accountable for what taxpayers expect: an education for our children.