The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is applauding the Government’s decision to sponsor extra lessons for students after schools return to normal, in order to address the learning loss the country has experienced since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic last year.

“We are all aware of the significance of the learning loss that has taken place, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, and also we should bear in mind that even prior to the pandemic the education system was not necessarily meeting the needs of the 21st century learners. But given what has transpired since the pandemic, it is a good suggestion,” JTA President Jasford Gabriel told the Jamaica Observer.

Education Minister Fayval Williams had announced the initiative in her contribution to the sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. She said the decision was made after identifying that students had not been getting the required amount of content contact and needed to compensate for it.

“When we resume normal operations in our schools we will launch Government-sponsored extra-lesson classes to provide more teaching and learning opportunities for our children, especially those from economically disadvantaged homes,” she said.

Williams also said that the programme will be available to parents who want to learn more, so that they can help their children or assist in completing the high school eduction they were not able to finish.

Gabriel said the initiative should have a positive impact because the culture of extra lessons has helped prepare students to be more competent in various subject areas, especially for national examinations.

“It would be very interesting to get more information in relation to the details of this extra-lesson programme. For example, which students would be targeted, how will we treat with the students who may not be able to benefit from these lessons on account of the distances they have to travel from, and what other strategies are going to be in place to help to treat with the learning loss,” Gabriel said.

He argued that in order to address the learning loss, the curriculum would need to be adjusted.

“I’m suggesting that as part of treating the learning loss we have to look at and adjust the curriculum, tailoring it more to meet the needs of our current reality in the 21st century, so that we can do the diagnostic testing that is necessary and also treat with intervention during the regular teaching time as school progresses,” he said.

The teachers’ union president also said the issue of remuneration, as well as which teachers will be targeted in the exercise, needed to be addressed.

Teacher at Kingston College, Sherika Edwards, shared Gabriel’s views that the State-sponsored extra lessons make sense.

“That sounds so great because it will benefit those students who were unable to access the online teaching due to unforeseen circumstances. Additionally, it will help those, too, who find virtual learning much too difficult,” Edwards told the Observer.

Miriam Campbell, who teaches at Future Glow Learning Centre, agreed. “There are children in the rural areas who really need this extra support,” she said.

Her colleague, Sherece Young, was also in agreement. “That’s a great idea because being that the COVID-19 takes a toll on our children, right now a lot of them are left behind. So with the Government sponsoring the extra lessons, the parents will send out their kids and they can get back on track,” Young said.

Minister Williams, in her presentation Wednesday, had also noted that extra lessons have been a feature of the Jamaican educational system for a very long time and parents have recognised that their children need more hours of teaching time to keep up or get ahead.

She also noted that the cost of extra lessons meant that only parents with means could afford to provide them for their children.

“Yet, children from economically disadvantaged homes need extra lessons more,” she noted, adding that the details of the plan are being “fleshed out”.

“Time lost, time wasted in schools is subtle. It is silent. Many people don’t see it as a big deal, and therefore we don’t do anything about it. It is a big deal, especially in a context when we have a learning gap of 4.3 years,” she stated.