The Secretary of the Division of Education, Research and Technology, Assemblyman Zorisha Hackett, hosted a series of stakeholder meetings on Monday 24th, Wednesday 26th and Friday 28th January 2022.
These consultations were held to afford all stakeholders the opportunity to share their individual realities of school operations in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Understanding that stakeholder involvement is critical in change management; the Secretary, Assistant Secretary and technical staff at the Division offered principals of secondary, primary and ECCE schools the opportunity to deliver 5-7 minute presentations in response to the Draft Policy that guides operations of schools for Terms II and III.
The virtual stakeholder meetings also welcomed various units within the Division, representatives of TTUTA, and the PTA.
The following are agreements stemming from each meeting:
- The vast majority of the nine secondary schools (77.8%) agreed that students of Forms 1-3 should return to physical school from February 7th.
- The majority of primary school principals were in agreement of opening schools to the Standard 5 students in the first instance, and to all remaining students from Term III.
- Principals at the primary school level agreed to bi-weekly sanitization of the school’s compound.
- Consideration to be given to special needs studennts who require assistance to remain clean, and those students who experience an adverse reaction to mask-wearing or lack the cognitive abilities to adhere to the mask-wearing protocols.
- The Division will conduct a further assessment to provide the appropriate support to students with special needs.
- ECCE principals agreed to students return in Term III with 80% indicating a preference to delay until September 2022. This will allow for appropriate staffing and infrastructural repairs.
- The design and management of the models that schools will utilize will be determined by the principals and their management teams in keeping with the principles pf School Based Management (SBM). The School Supervision Unit, the Technical Advisor and the ECCE Managers will monitor the schools’ performances as we embrace this new phase of reopening our schools.
- Forms 1-3 students at secondary schools, as well as Standard 5 students of the primary schools, shall return on February 7th along with their counterparts in Trinidad. At the primary level, all remaining students from Infants to Standard 4 will return to school in Term III. ECCE students are also expected to open their doors again in Term III. A flexible, but well-managed blend of face-to-face and virtual modalities is vital for success in the upcoming months at the ECCE, primary and secondary levels.
The Secretary and members of staff at the Division of Education, Research and Technology extend gratitude to all stakeholders for their valuable contributions which will guide the Division’s course of action as it relates to the operation of schools for Terms II and III.
