Open our schools

Dear Editor,

We, the parents and the children, are writing to you today with a request to open our schools. We believe that while everyone has been trying their best to overcome these challenging times, it is a time that you directly hear from us — the students, the parents, the teachers, the principals, the guardians the main stakeholders of the education system.

We want to start off by saying thank you, to all the educators, essential workers and officials who have worked hard to adapt to the online world and to the parents who continue to support their children’s education.

However, the last two years have been extremely challenging for all the students across the country.

“In the first few months of lockdown, there was only one smart phone in the house which my father needed for his work. Later on, my parents decided to invest money to get me a smart phone so I don’t miss out on my studies. But I know that I am one of the lucky ones. I need the schools to re-open so my friends can learn too. These are the students who are really interested in studying and want to learn but can’t. They’re going to find it really difficult to catch up when school reopens.” Dana, grade 5, Bahamas.

Schools are so much more than just about learning; they’re about social interaction as well. And now thanks to having schools shut down, this interaction is really not possible.

There are thousands of children around The Bahamas who haven’t even attended a day of school in the last two years, online or physical, during this pandemic. It’s been nearly two years and counting of this lockdown and no school for children, which is more than enough time for children to forget what they’ve learned.

Enough is enough! The hotels, OPEN! The restaurants, OPEN! The gyms, OPEN! The cinemas, OPEN! The malls, OPEN! Casinos, OPEN! Gambling establishments, OPEN! Why are the schools CLOSED?

Online learning, while an effective temporary solution, is not a substitute for what classrooms have to offer. It has long-term impacts on your younger children due to socialized isolation.

A study showed that parents of one third of primary students have reported poor mental health and socio emotional health since May 2020. There’s also been an immense learning loss with an estimate that a grade 3 student who lost a year’s worth of learning might not be able to catch up by 2030.

With online learning, new challenges have only increased. With the pandemic, it is the perfect opportunity for us to reinvent schools across the country.

We believe in the 21st Century, it is necessary for us to build social emotional skills, and to learn to be change-makers. The world we’re heading towards is going to be unpredictable and to thrive in it, we need more than just our current education system has to offer.

We know that you’re worried about our children’s health, but experts have provided detailed guidelines on how to reduce the risk of getting infected in schools. To re-open schools, it is important to bring the voices of experts, school staff, parents, community members, and of course, children.

Private schools have been open with virtual and in room learning for the last two years. And the numbers have not spiked in COVID within private schools. Why are all the school shut down again when it has been proven in the last two years the kids are not spreading COVID as quickly as any other counterparts of our community.

We, as concerned individuals will be operating a peaceful demonstration if the schools do not reopen. If the individuals are given the chance to share their voices, we are sure that we are able to work in partnership with our teachers and authorities in helping schools open safely. Ask us what we want, ask us what is working and ask us how we can help. We are your partners in this.

— Laureen Singh

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