G.O.B. Considers Online Classes for Students in Flooded Areas

The Ministry of Education is still figuring out how to best support students in the areas hardest hit by the floods. For the past two weeks, we’ve been reporting on several communities left partially underwater following the passage of Tropical Storm Sara. Residents have had to wait for the waters to recede or find alternative ways to get in and out of their communities. Earlier this week, we shared the story of students in Crooked Tree Village who woke up at 3:30 in the morning to catch a boat out of the village. Today, we asked the Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca, about the efforts being made to help these students. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Britney Gordon

“For students that are living in these areas affected by the floods like Crooked Tree, there is some concern with residents of how early they have to get up to go to class and the struggle they’re having to pay attention and get back home and do their studies. Is there any assistance that’s being provided for them or any talks of possibly moving classes online?”

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“Yeah. There’s an ongoing discussion about that matter. As the ministry, when it was required, we cancelled classes, we postponed classes. But yes, we’re looking at all of those alternatives. In those cases, we work very closely with the management, we work with the principals of those schools. But we don’t want to do anything, any general policy. It has to be targeted certain schools are affected in, in one, in a manner, in a much more substantive way than others. So we address it on a school-by-school basis. But yes, we are working with all of those affected schools in those communities. Especially in the River Valley right now. To try to address those wherever students are not able to go to school. To come up with an alternative plan.”

 

Crooked Tree Parent Says Students are Struggling to get to School