EDUCATION and learning are at the foundation of any progressive society. Since March 2020, the education system has been strained tremendously, worldwide, due to strict COVID-19 protocols.

In an effort to facilitate remote learning most schools have opted to go online, leaving a great number of students —from primary to tertiary level — behind. The need for Internet access and technological devices such as iPads, tablets, laptops and cellular phones to participate in e-learning is undoubtedly highlighting socio-economic inequalities.

Especially in Jamaica, where cellular service is limited in various rural areas, it is increasingly difficult for all students to receive the same learning standard. Moreover, many parents, grandparents and guardians have taken on the double shift because they are now acting as teachers, not to mention the households that have suffered severe emotional turmoil as a result of the pandemic, whether due to the loss of a family member, close friend or other mental health issues.

Should we suspend school for this year? Should we continue to operate in this way? If so, how are we going to level the playing field? Are guardians and children alike able to function productively in this COVID-19 climate? Should we view the current academic year (September 2020- June 2021) a COVID-19 gap year where there is no penalisation for the students who did not have access to the proper tools? And if we do this, how would it affect the society and its development?

Formerly, attending physical school had become a safe space for a number of students. Guardians and children alike depended on it for social engagement, physical activities, food access, and even emotional and mental support. It allowed working guardians the ability to balance their role of caregiving while still being able to work.

This structure of security was dismantled with the arrival of COVID-19. With more parents being home while children participate in home learning, whether due to layoffs or remote work, increased tension and stress for both parent and child is almost unavoidable.

A report on the Impact of School Closures on Learning, Child and Family Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic, by the BC Centre for Disease Control suggests several risk factors for family violence worsened during the pandemic. In many cases, there is a financial and emotional burden on the parent, especially if it is a single-parent household.

Cambridge University Press published a study in 2018 which suggests that 41 per cent of households in Jamaica are single-parent ones. This fact signifies that one parent or guardian must carry the financial and emotional load for almost half the country’s families. And in Jamaica, it is often the mothers.

Due to economic instability, there have been 120,000 layoffs in just the tourism industry, indicating that the unemployment rate would have doubled to 16.1 per cent according to the UNDP. To add insult to injury, according to the Ministry of Education in Jamaica, only 15 per cent of the workforce has tertiary training and certification. This small percentage of people includes those who are likely able to help their children with their studies. The greater percentage of the population therefore may not be able to assist with their schoolwork, causing frustration but also inevitably contributing to the student/s falling behind.

Subsequently, only a small percentage of people would be able to afford the equipment and supplies needed for their children’s success. It is also important to note that specifically in developing countries like Jamaica, the emotional and financial burden that comes with distance learning often falls on the student. For quite a few students at the secondary and tertiary levels, the onus is on them to procure supplies and pay for Internet service to access online platforms.

The World Bank affirmed that most countries are not monitoring the usage of online platforms. The ones that are monitoring them reveal that remote learning is being used by less than half of the student population. As expected, most of those cases are online platforms in high- and middle-income countries. As a developing nation still not equipped with all the tools and resources needed, we are already playing catch-up.

In addition, according to UNICEF, 72 per cent of the world’s schoolchildren are unable to access remote learning during school closures. The report further states that schoolchildren from underprivileged households and those living in rural areas are most likely to be afflicted by the school closures.

In Jamaica, even before COVID-19, students in rural areas, where 44.3 per cent of the population resides (World Bank data 2018), were the most vulnerable. It is even more so now. The Caribbean Broadband and ICT Indicators Data Sheet on Jamaica claims that about 24 per cent of the population has access to a computer at home and 15.6 per cent has access to the Internet at home.

Students from schools like Top Hill Primary, Tydixon, Juan de Bolas in St Catherine, all the way to Salem Primary in Westmoreland are struggling because of poor Internet connectivity; accounting for at least 80 per cent of the student population that will be affected.

Attempting to do homework and essays on smartphones with limited data service because they do not have access to a computer has been the experience of students, particularly in rural communities, and that is if they own a smartphone. Some students tend to borrow a phone from a friend or relative.

It is undeniable that the CSEC and CAPE students who sat their exams in 2020 were greatly affected, and that the students sitting this year will be significantly affected as well. It is clear that numerous Jamaican students are at a loss, especially those not attending traditional high schools.

I pause to ask once more: Should we suspend school for this year? The personal account of a Jamaican educator for 20 years suggests that trying to push all students through the system, especially at this time, is more detrimental to society. Forcing students who do not have access to proper resources to continue schooling will only cause them to fall through the cracks.

Repeating the year is not the worst thing in the world. It is far better than having them try to keep up and ending up with unproductive citizens for many years later on. For example, pre-COVID-19 this phenomenon is the reason we end up with children in high school who can barely read. The situation now is admittedly worse. On the other hand, a separate account was given by a doctor working in the medical field for over 15 years. A concern about the training and matriculation of the medical students who have not been exposed to physical patients due to COVID-19 was shared. How does e-learning suffice for this? It indeed does not and cannot.

Ultimately, some students managed to stay afloat, made the best of the current school year, and even excelled since March 2020, despite immense challenges. Their work cannot be erased or go unnoticed. However, the students whose education has been disrupted based on factors out of their control should not have to suffer any more than they already have. So, what is the solution?

The most crucial thing is levelling the playing field so every single student can matriculate with the same learning standard. We should use this time to develop more feasible, safe solutions to make physical school in September 2021 possible, for all students. The truth is, whether or not the pandemic is under control by then, maybe a gap year for students still grappling with various issues should be seriously considered.

These students should be allowed to repeat the year lost without stigma or penalty, rather than being pressured to advance at the same time as the rest of their peers. Typically, students and parents believe the quicker one finishes school, the better. I am not necessarily of that belief.

Studies have shown that children’s cognitive and socio-emotional skill levels are good predictors of long-term outcome. For one, these are unprecedented times, but either way, there is no need to rush the educational process. Pushing the school year will inevitably highlight the fact that students poorly endowed with these skills tend to have lower educational attainment and poorer labour market prospects, and thus economic disparities, in the future.

The reality is, every country and its human capital has been severely impacted by COVID-19, so let us not panic. Instead of putting so much undue stress on these students, parents and guardians, let us allow them to focus on their mental well-being rather than existing in a constant state of worry.

The time is now for general discussion, whether led by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and/or all stakeholders in the educational system at this point to determine the way forward for the betterment of all students. But from my standpoint, I maintain that the best thing to do is cancel the 2020-2021 school year now.

Hugh Graham is Member of Parliament for St Catherine North Western, and CEO of Paramount Trading Company Ltd.