By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net 

ACTING Education Director Dominique McCartney-Russell said students developed communication and motivation gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to problems with conflict resolution in addition to the skills and knowledge loss that have worried educators.

“We noticed that during the pandemic, the lockdown created a lot of isolation, and so the students would not have developed the socialisation skills they normally do when they’re connected to one another, so when they got back on the campuses, there was a lot of issues in regards to conflict and their abilities to resolve those conflicts,” she told The Tribune.

“Also, we noticed that there was a certain level of lethargy, you know, some of our students were almost apathetic towards education.

Mrs McCartney-Russell’s comment came as the ministry prepares to test students again for learning loss in September and November.

 Like the previous exercise, which revealed that 40 per cent of the 40,000-plus students needed remediation, there will be two rounds of testing.

 “The remediation being offered now is individualised, it’s targeted, it’s personal per child, and so our team members, as well as Renaissance, was assisting us with this process,” Mrs McCartney-Russell said during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

 Renaissance Learning Incorporated is a private international learning analytics company with which the ministry has partnered  to provide assessment tests.

 Mrs McCartney-Russell said though the ministry has seen “some gains” from its remediation programmes, it is too early to discuss the successes of the programme.

 “Although it is, in my estimation, a little bit too quick for us to say, you know, it has gone up 10 per cent,” she said, referring to learning recovery.

 “Right now, we want to ensure that we fulfil the entire programme, and so that means that we have to do those two other rounds of testing and two other rounds of remediation to be able to give a good picture of what’s going on on the ground.”

 In the meantime, she said the ministry would continue training employees and hiring more people to support its intervention programmes after uncovering additional gaps caused by the pandemic.

 “We would,” she said, “have discovered that not only did our children present knowledge and skills gaps, but there were communication gaps. There were motivational gaps. There were environmental gaps after the pandemic. And so as a result of that, we saw the need to ensure that students have access to training that allows them to develop their emotional intelligence and, of course, their well-being, and so we’re seeking to provide child-friendly spaces.

 “We’re seeking to use art therapy, all of that to ensure that they are well, as well as to ensure that they have empathy and sympathy towards their peers, and, of course, towards their teachers.”

 Additionally, the ministry plans to focus heavily on curriculum reform, with officials looking to strengthen key areas of study at the primary school level, including literacy, numeracy, civics and the performing arts.

 “We’re also seeking, particularly because of the pandemic, how we can ensure that we provide more experiential, more authentic learning than science, and so we’re asking our team members to provide access to field trips, more hands-on learning,” Mrs McCartney-Russell said.

 In terms of recruitment, she said 344 teachers had been recruited so far for the school year, but more are needed.

 “There is an additional need for 55 teachers in specific areas, language arts, mathematics, science, physical education, social studies, modern languages, computer studies, visual and performing arts and the recruitment exercise is ongoing,” she said.

 “We’re presently waiting for the vetting of those teachers and we are working on their geographical allowances, rent, etc, so that they are ready to go come the opening of school.”