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Last Updated: Mar 30, 2020 - 10:05:46 PM |
Remarks in the House of Assembly by Minister Jeffrey Lloyd on the Ministry of Education's response to COVID-19
By Ministry of Education
Mar 30, 2020 - 9:35:55 PM
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 Based on the advice given by Public Health officials, the Ministry of Education made the difficult decision to suspend the physical face to face instruction that takes place on our school campuses. While this action was necessary to make every effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry was and is still committed to executing its mission of providing quality education to the students of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
As you are aware, the Ministry embarked upon the gigantic task of digitising the entire education system. In addition to providing schools with high speed internet connectivity, installing wifi on campuses and outfitting schools with Education Management Information Systems (EMIS), making additional educational resources to support the teaching and learning process is key.
In September 2019, the Ministry of Education was proud to establish the first phase of its Virtual Learning Platform. At that time, the idea was to start our venture into virtual learning in rural schools with fewer than 50 students at the secondary level. However, with the passage of Hurricane Dorian and the destruction created in its wake, students in Abaco were added to the cohort of students. With in excess of 400 students participating in the Virtual School program for more than half a year, the Ministry is happy with the progress it has made in this new method of delivering educational content.
Given the fact that the COVID-19 outbreak has made it unsafe to continue conducting classes in the brick and mortar site, the Ministry took the bold decision to accelerate its efforts in developing its virtual learning network. The goal: Establish a Virtual Learning Platform to provide for the continuation of schooling for all students within The Commonwealth of The Bahamas from pre-primary through to secondary during the coronavirus outbreak.
Technical officers met over two days (Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th March. 2020) to develop a plan for the way forward. As a result, curriculum officers established teams of teachers to develop content to place on the Virtual Learning Platform. An online student registration process was created, and the public was notified primarily using a media campaign, engaging traditional and social media. By Monday 23rd March, the Ministry’s virtual learning site was activated with content for students of all grade levels. About 9,000 students were registered.
Today, Monday 30th March, 2020, I am pleased to announce that we have been able to upgrade our offerings on the Virtual Learning Platform by implementing a minimum of three “live” lessons per grade level per day. That translates into a minimum of 180 “live” classes this week and many more classes for which a variety of education resources will be provided. We are confident that, if we have to continue to work remotely, the number of “live” classes will increase significantly. Additionally, this week, we have added a feature that will permit students to submit assignments, and to receive the feedback required to strengthen the learning process.
As indicated earlier, registration is open to all students, and as of last night (Sunday 29th March. 2020 at 9pm), 21,537 students had registered. Of
that number, 88% attended a government school; 10% a private school and
2% are home schoolers. Grade 8 had the highest number of students
enrolled (2,047), followed by Grade 7 (1997) and Pre-primary (1897).
Grade 1 had the fewest number of students enrolled at 1,197.
Ninety-seven percent of these students indicated that they had internet
access at home.
I wish to thank all those technical officers within the Department of Education and the scores of teachers and school administrators who have answered the call to ensure that our students’ education does not have to stop because of the coronavirus. Whether it was the development of the Virtual Learning Platform, production of learning resources, establishing and facilitating virtual learning classes, offering support to parents and students, all of these efforts are appreciated greatly. It is commendable that while the country and the globe is filled with uncertainly, you have provided hope by continuing to rise to the occasion. We are grateful and The Bahamas is proud of you for your invaluable contribution to the country’s development.
As we continue to move forward, we would like to encourage all stakeholders to get involved in advancing our virtual learning activities. Teachers and school administrators, while separated physically from their students, will be asked to undertake the following:
• Assist with the production of resource materials including the presentation of lessons;
• Encourage student participation in the virtual learning space; and
• Provide support to students in need of their help.
Please keep in mind that this is new territory and as we navigate these uncharted waters, we will seek to provide you with the guidance needed to have success. In the coming days, more information will be provided to bring greater clarity to what is expected, and to advise you as to how you can execute your role with good effect. Remember, we are in this together and when you succeed, we all succeed and the students and the country are the beneficiaries. We are one team with one goal!
Rest assured that the Ministry of Education is committed fully to the education of all students in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas and we will do our best to provide them with a quality education without regard to the circumstances. We are aware that some students do not have access to the internet or devices and we are exploring ways to reduce or eliminate these access to education issues.
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