Alternatives to face-to-face classes have not gone far enough, says Golding
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Attempts that have been made to provide alternative channels in the absence of face-to-face classes, have not gone far enough and has resulted in a damagingly high level of educational exclusion.
This is according to People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding who was making his Budget Debate presentation today.
Golding said the education system has been “devastated” by the pandemic.
Speaking in the House of Representatives, a short while ago, Golding said: “Hundreds of thousands of students have received very little education since schools closed in March last year.”
He said this structural inequality in education has worsened with the use of virtual platforms to replace face-to-face learning.
“Children from low-income families have been particularly badly affected. For them, the lack of adequate devices and internet connectivity has been the norm rather than the exception. In rural areas and low-income urban communities, far too many students have been unable to participate in the online learning, because they have no access to the necessary devices or the internet or both.
“Many children are now on the streets romping during school hours. Some have joined the workforce in an effort to help to feed their families. They may never come back into formal schooling, without a targeted intervention. The consequences will be severe for them and for the entire society,” Golding said.
He added that experts are warning that some children deprived of school because of COVID-19 “are going to end up in crime”.
The Opposition Leader noted further that at the tertiary level, major universities and colleges face severe financial challenges.
“Their students are also not immune to the economic downturn. The rate of deregistration and dropping out has climbed dramatically,” he said.
Noting that there have been calls to repeat the school year starting next September, so that the learning loss can be recovered, he said “There seems to be merit in this, though consequential arrangements would need to be made for those students who are ready to move up, and for the little ones who will be entering the school system.”
