Education Ministry urges schools not to lock out students amid taxi strike
/ Our Today
administrator
Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams is urging school administrators not to lock out students or send them home randomly where they have turned up for classes and there is an inadequate number of teachers.
“The safety of the students and leadership are critical at this time,” Williams said as the nation’s faced the impact of an islandwide bus and taxi operators strike.
It has been reported that a number of students and teachers have either not turned up for classes or arrived late citing transportation challenges in the wake of the strike by taxi drivers.
In an advisory to the school system, the ministry said school administrators should:
1- Activate their school communication channels to share information and respond to queries as necessary.
2 Activate the education plan to support the continuity of education in emergency in the event that the disruption does not permit face-to-face classes. Given the current circumstances, permission is granted for School Boards to use the mixed modalities based on their context and the impact of the ongoing strike by the taxi operators. Use may be made of remote learning, that is, seated/assigned readings and worksheets/workbooks/textbook exercises or research or virtual learning (synchronous or asynchronous or hybrid), televised learning and face-to-face learning.
“Schools are also asked to ensure students are picked up or dismissed from school with the knowledge of the parents/guardians at a reasonable time given the limited access to transportation,” the ministry said.
“Where possible, school leaders should make use of their school bus to assist with the transportation needs of the students and staff.”
According to the ministry, initial reports from sections of the island indicate no major disruptions in Region 5 covering Manchester and St Elizabeth; Region 2 covering St Thomas, Portland and St Mary or Region 3 covering St Ann and Trelawny.
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