EduFocal Creating More Job Opportunities for Teachers

Despite unprecedented changes in the education system due to the global health pandemic (COVID-19), resulting in near-total closures of schools and temporary lay-offs of educators, ed-tech company, EduFocal is creating more job opportunities for teachers to deliver education virtually.

Following the recent launch of its online school, EduFocal PEP Academy in early September, the online learning platform has created job opportunities for a number of professions. This includes technical support personnel and teachers at the primary/preparatory level to moderate the online sessions.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EduFocal, Gordon Swaby, highlighted that students across the island preparing for the annual Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations now have access to top tier teachers in the field. “We have hired fifteen teachers and ten moderators from top primary and preparatory schools across the island. These teachers are widely known and are recognized as the best in their respective subject areas,” said Swaby.

He added, “These teachers have considerable experience in the field. In fact, most of them have over fifteen years of teaching experience at the Grade Six Achievement Tests (GSAT) level, now PEP. I am excited to have them on-board and I am confident in their capabilities to prepare our students to excel in their examinations and matriculate to their high school of choice.”

PEP Academy is an initiative by EduFocal to accelerate its mission of using technology to enrich the learning experience outside of the classroom as well as to help ideate and innovate the way in which Jamaica and the Caribbean move forward with technology in
education. The programme is an online education experience for grades four to six students, designed to make learning fun and interactive and prepare them to excel in their PEP examinations.

EduFocal PEP Academy commenced the academic school year on September 7, a month prior to the government’s stipulation for the phased reopening of schools.

The online school offers daily online classes, Monday through to Friday from 8:15 am – 2:30 pm as well as after school classes and weekly live extra-curricular activities.

Swaby said that student numbers are expected to increase in October, which will see the company hiring more teachers to teach the core PEP subjects: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Mental Ability and Performance Task.

Head of Department at EduFocal’s PEP Academy, Donia Thomas, one of the fifteen teachers recently employed by EduFocal shares her online teaching experience to date. She said, “Frankly speaking, I am loving it and so are my students. Initially, I was a little sceptic
about online teaching but once I applied myself, I found I was able to master it. I try to make my classes interactive by incorporating the chalk and talk approach with the PowerPoint slides to make my students feel like they are in the classroom at school.”

EduFocal is Jamaica’s leading online learning and exam preparation platform for students in grades four through six preparing for the annual Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Examinations. It provides students with the tools, resources and confidence needed to excel in PEP.

Over 100,000 parents have trusted EduFocal to prepare their students for their Grade Six Achievement Tests (GSAT), now PEP exams, since 2012. Students of EduFocal have passed for some of Jamaica’s best high schools across the island.