Senator wants wider consultations before reopening of schools
Published:Saturday | July 17, 2021 | 12:10 AM
Opposition senator Gabriela Morris has recommended that the education ministry accelerates the coding in schools programme, to deliver basic information technology and coding in all secondary institutions.
The programme was launched on May 7 and piloted in 20 schools, engaging approximately 2,000 students in grades four and nine.
Morris asserted that there is educational uncertainty, coupled with a health crisis, downturn and rising food and gas prices.
“The country faces so many threats to its ability to continue. At the core of these prevailing issues is the crushing impact on our youth and that cannot be understated,” she said in her maiden State of the Nation Debate during yesterday’s sitting of the Senate.
Morris also proposed that the Government increase subsidies and physical resources to schools, which would allow them to fund the offering of new Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) subjects such as digital media and green engineering.
“Both subjects are important in the short term to prepare our young people to become creators and not merely consumers of technology,” she reasoned.
Meanwhile, Morris appealed to the education ministry to make greater use of stakeholder consultations as it seeks to make decisions about the reopening of schools.
“A framework must be created for the phased reopening of schools. This reopening should not be a haphazard announcement but one that is built on the input of educators and stakeholders,” she said.
Morris added that in closing the gaps of learning loss, through assessment and a focus on digital literacy, greater attention must be paid to rural students and those with special needs.