THE pandemic appears to be drawing to a close…at long last. However, its effects will be felt for many years to come, especially by our youth. Apart from the solitude and confinement that resulted from this catastrophic event, some have lost loved ones, friends and colleagues.

Now that school has reopened in full, the education sector will be feeling the pinch as it tries to make up for two long years of stunted learning. Many of our preschoolers, primary level students and secondary schoolers are entering a new school environment for the very first time. They are now mingling with new colleagues, learning new rules and adjusting and/or readjusting to face-to-face learning.

The good news is that the pandemic has introduced flexible education systems and has made online learning tolerable and sometimes even preferred. This has opened the global marketplace for education. Those people who were once intimidated and fearful of the unknown virtual space are now acclimatised and accepting.

Undoubtedly, the impact of COVID-19 on student learning has been momentous and the question is — how do we close the gap in learning that has already occurred and do so quickly and decisively? After the health crisis, are we now in the midst of an education crisis? The time is now for our educators and administrators to design new and effective modalities aimed at increasing learning in the classroom.

We must act swiftly to save our students.

In my experience as a secondary school level tutor, much time is wasted in a class session in a typical high school setting. Time is thrown away as teachers try to settle and quiet students. Time is also wasted when there is improper or insufficient lesson planning as a result of diminished organisational skills.

I do appreciate that teachers are under tremendous pressure and their time is already quite stretched. Nonetheless, the onus is on the leaders of the schools, such as heads of departments, to ensure that lesson plans are written, adhered to, and are effective. I recommend that administrators pop into classes, unannounced and unexpected, to see and hear what is actually happening.

It is unacceptable for students to come out of a 45-minute class session and not have learnt anything. For students sitting external examinations, this becomes even more critical with potentially devastating effects.

I have heard of teachers not being able to complete a syllabus during assigned class times and then offering extra lessons at a cost, in order to complete a syllabus which was designed to be covered within the school year(s). This demonstrates improper planning and avariciousness and should not be supported by administrators. This begs the question: Is the teacher deliberately not completing a syllabus in order to charge students for extra lessons?

I am also lobbying for remedial classes to our students who have suffered major learning loss due to the pandemic. What comes quickly to mind is that their handwriting skills would have diminished. Therefore, they will need to be given exercises which allow the practice of handwriting as most of their external and internal exams will require handwriting.

There is also a growing and urgent need for special educators within the school system to identify the special needs of students and to offer special education interventions.

What about mathematical skills? This would have posed challenges in the virtual classroom. Face-to-face learning must address this immediately. Students must once again become familiar with showing their calculations legibly when answering questions. Graphical skills must be sharpened.

Then there are study skills. Are our students prepared and knowledgeable about the art of studying? Students are told to ‘go study’, but most do not know how to actually accomplish this task.

There is an obvious shortage of master teachers, but all is not lost as we do have some. Perhaps we need to explore having these master teachers go into the less fortunate inner city and rural communities via the online modality. Lessons can be pre-recorded and played during a class session with the in-house teacher acting as a facilitator. This will go a far way in assisting students in grasping difficult concepts and will build student confidence. This is also an effective method for traversing staffing challenges.

Often, we focus on remedial actions for our students. I believe that remedial actions are also necessary for some teachers. Teacher training and development need to be an integral and ongoing function of the education system as we attempt to save our students in post-pandemic Jamaica.

Dr Karla Hylton operates Bio & Chem Tutoring, a tutoring service specialising in secondary level biology, chemistry and physics. She is the author of Yes! You Can Help Your Child Achieve Academic Success and Complete Chemistry for Caribbean High Schools. Reach her at (876) 564-1347, biochemtutor100@gmail.com or www.khylton.com.