With uncertainty looming over school reopening due to the highly contagious COVID Delta strain and its alarming mortality rate, alternative learning methods are being sought to overcome the teacher boycott of online education. “The reopening of schools will be further delayed due to the current COVID situation though initially planned for late August or [...]

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Government throws new learning methods into mix as teachers stay away

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With schoolgoing days at a standstill and online teaching also a no-show, the Govt. says it's looking at other options to reach out to schoolchildren islandwide. Pic by Akila Jayawardana

 

With uncertainty looming over school reopening due to the highly contagious COVID Delta strain and its alarming mortality rate, alternative learning methods are being sought to overcome the teacher boycott of online education.

“The reopening of schools will be further delayed due to the current COVID situation though initially planned for late August or early September,” a senior official of the Education Ministry said. The starting date will be determined by health authorities.

“Even if permission is obtained, priority will be given to Ordinary Level and Advanced Level students,” the official said.

More children contracted the illness this week, with the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital treating more than 150 COVID-positive children.

Health authorities asked parents to keep children showing mild symptoms at home and seek medical treatment by phone.

“Students will be home-bound during the second term as well,” the Education Ministry official said.

Despite Education Minister G.L. Peiris’s repeated pleas for teachers in government schools to resume online teaching, staff remain on strike over pay, with students deprived of online education now for a month.

In the absence of online education, a 20-hour-operating radio channel dedicated to primary and secondary education will be launched tomorrow, the Minister of Mass Media, Keheliya Rambukwella, said.

“Even the low-income households have a radio; this is why we focused on having a radio station for students,” he said.

The education radio station, Vision FM, will be available on Sri Lanka Broadcasting Service’s 102.1 and 103.1 FM bands.

Students will be able to listen to education programmes from 4 a.m. to midnight, with 65 per cent of the content being academic programmes and 35 per cent other educational programmes.

Sri Lanka Telecom’s PEO TV is also to launch six dedicated educational channels in the coming week, with another 14 channels due in coming months.

“Arrangements are being made to use satellite technology to provide educational channels for students who cannot access PEO TV due to low Telecom signals,” Mr. Ranbukwella said.

“A number of mainstream television channels have also positively responded to our request to increase educational programmes targeting students who are missing school,” he said.

Earlier this week, Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris foreshadowed that the opening of schools at the end of August or at the beginning of September was uncertain.

“We planned to give the second dose of vaccine to the teachers and non-academic staff before the end of August. After that, our intention was to open the schools, step by step under a proper procedure according to the guidance of health recommendations, but under the prevailing conditions it became uncertain,” the Minister said.

The results of last year’s GCE Ordinary Level examinations will be postponed further as the pandemic threat has delayed practical tests.

“Of the 622,000 students who sat for that exam, 169,000 have studied aesthetic subjects. Due to COVID, practical tests cannot be conducted. This will lead to a delay in releasing results,” Dr. Peiris said.

In the Western Province, which has the highest pupil population – 1 million students – study notes are being compiled for students who are missing studies.

“Schools are still covering lessons for the first term. We are compiling second term study notes and activities for students from Grades 1 to 11 that will be published on the department’s website. Students can make use of the study materials and learn even if the online strike continues,” the Provincial Director of Education Srilal Nonis told the Sunday Times.

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