Two organisations which give me great hope for bringing our children up to speed despite the pandemic are the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) and the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD). I was able to join Education Minister Fayval William’s back-to-school session for early childhood institutions in Region 4 and the guidelines presented by Executive Director Karlene Deslandes are thoughtful and thorough.

Well ahead of the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, former ECC Chair Professor Maureen Samms Vaughan and current Chair Trisha Williams-Singh spearheaded programmes and standards that give Jamaican preschoolers a solid start. Every new parent should download the 1st 1000 Days app developed by the ECC, which gives a great deal of practical advice.

Similarly, as we listened to executive director of CCCD Tashi Widmer — via interpreter Denque Wedderburn — Chair Grace Lindo, and staff members from the campuses in Kingston, Manchester, and St James, we were assured that their deaf students would be able to avail themselves of quality education. If you know of a needy child who is deaf, please consider offering them a scholarship to CCCD and watch them bloom.

Despite these valiant efforts, the data shared last week by Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) researcher Stephanie Sewell is disturbing. In her presentation titled ‘Time Out — Impact of COVID-19 on Education’ — available on YouTube — we learn that half of the households in vulnerable communities have no Internet access and 20 per cent have no suitable devices, paediatricians are treating children with poor health issues, and students’ grades are falling.

Sewell described the ideal conditions for learning at home — comfortable spaces and parents who can supervise their children.

“The presence of all these variables, as you can imagine, in one home is more likely to be found among households in the upper socio-economic quintile as compared to poorer households and, especially, multi-person households within vulnerable communities,” she noted.

She said that a comparison between the grade six ability tests of February 2020 and February 2021 has revealed that there was an eight per cent decline in the students’ performance, with the average mean score moving from 60 per cent to 52 per cent. At the secondary level they identified a decline in the number of students sitting such examinations.

Sewell also highlighted another worrying situation: “Apart from learning loss, we can see that school closures can also have an impact on other areas, such as causing weight gain and other diet-related illnesses, including diabetes and hypertension. Students have also been impacted by increases in hyperactivity, indiscipline, sadness, loneliness, frustration, and anxiety.”

She cited a group of Caribbean paediatricians who stated that our children “are on the cusp of a regional childhood obesity emergency and mental health emergency”. They note that the situation “is exacerbated by the lack of, or reduced access to, guidance counsellors and other in-person coping mechanisms for students, higher screen time …using online learning can cause issues to do with eye health and distractibility or lack of focus and even less emotional stability for students”.

According to Sewell, in a previous study by CAPRI — Stress Test: The Impact of the Pandemic on Domestic and Community Violence — there were reports of COVID-19’s impact on violence: “Pre-teen boys and teenage boys who had no devices were dropping out of school forming cliques, carrying knives, smoking, gambling, and getting into fights. Girls are also at a higher risk of abuse and sexual exploitation when not in school.”

She acknowledged the improvements made by the Ministry of Edcation, but urged the return to face-to-face classes as soon as possible. She recommended that, “COVID testing regimes for teachers, as well as students, should be instituted; surveys of infection and positivity rates for communities surrounding schools should be undertaken; and alternative locations, such as church halls, community centres and other larger locations should be engaged to be used as classrooms to allow for social-distancing, as well as to reduce class sizes where possible.”

While we wait for this third surge to end, she is calling for improvements to online learning, “for example, establish and support smaller groups of students, use the learning pods as a methodology for remote teaching, continue to expand the Internet infrastructure and Internet access across the island”.

At the event Education Minister Fayval Williams said her ministry welcomed the research, noting that significant efforts have been made to provide devices to the most vulnerable students and assistance to teachers. She said that while face-to-face classes were not yet possible, “our focus in the coming year until able to get back into the business environment and even beyond that, is to ensure that those children who are not consistently engaged with the educational system that we know exactly who they are, that we make the necessary intervention for them and so ,at least, by the end of the year we’re hoping that we would have caught them up to at least where they were before the pandemic”.

Hope Zoo’s crucial role

One of the many establishments that has been severely handicapped by the pandemic is the Hope Zoo. Owned by the Government of Jamaica and resuscitated through the kindness of Guardsman Chairman Kenny Benjamin, the zoo was transformed into an oasis, and pre-COVID-19 was a preferred spot for family outings. Marketing Manager Patrice Levy pointed out the crucial role of the Hope Zoo Foundation, its responsibility for conservation, advocacy, and research. “Conservation practice entails captive breeding, species reintroduction programmes, species survival plans and the use of zoo revenue for conservation programmes in the wild,” she explained.

She added that, “Conservation advocacy includes public engagement, promoting awareness, advocating stewardship, and fundraising.”

The Hope Zoo is a wildlife sanctuary which collaborates with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to rescue native species. Injured or orphaned animals are cared for until they can be released back into the wild. “Others with permanent injuries are given a new forever home here at Hope Zoo,” she said.

The Hope Zoo Foundation initiated the conservation programme for the Jamaican iguana, successfully housing and protecting 300 reptiles for up to six years before releasing them back into their natural habitat.

Spread over 57 acres with a 65-strong team, there is enough space to distance and enjoy the surroundings. With the recent lockdowns, there is the need for funding to support the high cost of feeding the wide variety of animals. Big thanks to Nayana Williams of Lifespan water for contributing proceeds from her sales.

Farewell, Professor Gerald Lalor

Professor Gerald Lalor carried himself with so much humility that one would never guess that he was one of our most innovative and accomplished Jamaicans. His PhD in inorganic chemistry was gained at the University of London; later he conducted research at the University of Cambridge and at Harvard University as a Carnegie Fellow.

Professor Lalor was The University of the West Indies’ (UWI) first Jamaican head of the Chemistry Department. Long before STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) was being noised about, Professor Lalor founded the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences at The UWI. His research team addressed lead poisoning in children and identified heavy metals which could affect human health, thus providing significant guidance to government agencies.

Jamaica was blessed with this purposeful scientist and educator. Our sympathy to Professor Lalor’s family and colleagues. May his soul rest in peace.

lowriechin@aim.com