Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley addressing student leaders at the Leadership Badge Presentation.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is promising to look at how best to get children back into the schools.
She spoke to this recently as she delivered the feature address during the Leadership Badge Presentation Ceremony held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium to present Head boys and Head girls across the private and public, primary and secondary schools, with their badges.
“Many of you have already spoken to me and to the Minister of Education about your strong desire to get back to school and we hear you, and we are going to start the conversations to see how best we can get you back into that regular place. Because school is not only about what you learn in textbooks or on the screens, school is also about your ability to learn, to mix with, play with and be together with all of your friends, the ones who are older and the ones who are younger and we get it and we want you to get back there as soon as possible,” she stated.
Mottley added, “It is possible that we may have to put on some additional classes to make up the deficit and we may have to do that through 2021 as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.”
Speaking earlier, Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw told those present that the Government is doing as much as it can to keep the students and teachers safe and to find the “best model” to ensure that learning can continue.
“I want to start a conversation with you shortly and across Barbados with our students, about the type of education system that you also want to see for the future. I want to hear about the concerns that many of you have, because as Head boys and Head girls, I’m sure you are interacting with other students who have concerns about education, concerns about the online environment, blended approach, all of those things. And it is important that you have a say, just as your parents have a say in various forums, just like your teachers will have a say, just like our principals have a say, and just like the general public has a say,” Bradshaw assured them.
She made the point while contending that it is her firm belief that changes cannot be made to the way in which teaching and learning occurs, unless they hear from the students who will be impacted.
“...We as a government have been doing so much to ensure we change up the curriculum, make it more relevant to you; make sure that students who believe that they may not be academic, but they have technical and vocational skills... also have an equal opportunity. We want to make sure that we tailor make everything we do as a Government to respond to what you as young people also want us to change in our society,” she added. (JRT)