More Students Embracing Non-Traditional Learning Approaches

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, says that more students are embracing the various approaches to learning put in place by the Government, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Classes started on October 5 with the delivery of lessons through three modalities – virtual classes, with students engaged through the Ministry’s online learning management system; via television, radio and cable; and the provision of printed material for students to utilise along with their textbooks and worksheets at home.

“Over the past three weeks, since October 5, we’ve seen greater and greater adoption of these approaches. Despite the many challenges, some 20,000 teachers stepped up and were trained to create virtual classrooms, upload material and engage students in the online world,” Mrs. Williams said, while addressing a digital press conference on Wednesday (October 28).

She shared that roughly 14,000 teachers are teaching from their homes, while about 4000 are delivering lessons from school.

Mrs. Williams said that the Government is aware of the various challenges being faced at this time and is working to address them.

These include lack of connectivity or device, or access to only one device by many children in the same household, and lack of supervision in some homes where parents have to go to work and leave the children by themselves.

“I want to say to all Jamaicans, we are not oblivious to the challenges that the pandemic has brought on all of us, especially our children, who’ve been away from the physical school environment since March 2020,” she noted.