{"id":114857,"date":"2020-08-10T07:17:33","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T11:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=114857"},"modified":"2020-08-27T05:55:11","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T09:55:11","slug":"pm-prolonged-closure-of-schools-could-see-students-losing-interest-in-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pm-prolonged-closure-of-schools-could-see-students-losing-interest-in-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"PM: Prolonged Closure Of Schools Could See Students Losing Interest In Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended the decision to reopen the nation\u2019s school on September 7, saying the prolonged closure could lead to children losing interest in learning.<\/p>

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\u201cWe can\u2019t leave our schools to languish; the cost for keeping our schools closed could be monumental. It could undermine our future development, particularly as it relates to students from low-income families who rely on education to lift themselves and their families out of poverty,\u201d Browne told Pointe FM.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf students are in a controlled space such as a classroom and having homework later at home, there\u2019s less time for this uncontrolled crowding and its potential to spread the virus,\u201d he explained.<\/p>

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Schools for the majority of students have been closed since March.<\/p>

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The prime minister said all risks must be managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur parents need to work and have their children in the education system including pre-schools. We have to learn to manage the risk of further spread,\u201d he stated.<\/p>

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Browne said schools cannot remain closed until covid-19 disappears.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if a vaccine takes two years to develop? What if it is ready sooner but it takes two years to get to us because of logistical and other issues. These are matters over which we have no control,\u201d he declared.<\/p>

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He also gave a detailed explanation of some of the numerous measures that will be implemented for the protection of students. Students will be placed in groups, not exceeding fifteen persons, with one group receiving face-toface tutoring and the other attending classes virtually.<\/p>

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Drastically reducing class sizes is intended to make contact tracing easier should a member of a group contract the virus. Other measures include placing cameras in the classrooms to enable students attending classes virtually to fully interact during lessons.<\/p>\n

Schools will also receive upgraded high-speed internet access while the three major telecommunication providers on the island have agreed to zero-rate internet services for students.<\/p>\n

While the government will provide five thousand laptops for students as part of this initiative, the prime minister is appealing to families who already own a computer to exercise patience so that students from low income families can be prioritized. More than twenty-two thousand face shields will be made available to students and teachers.<\/p>\n

This will be supplemented, however, by the Ministry of Trade\u2019s National Garment Manufacturing Initiative which will be called upon to produce additional face masks for the education system.<\/p>\n

Temperature guns will be provided to schools to facilitate regular testing and larger schools will be assigned a nurse as part of the staff.<\/p>\n

The government is also considering offering flu shots to students to reduce the risk of flu symptoms being mistaken for those of COVID-19. Combined, these measures form part of the government\u2019s arsenal to prevent the spread of the virus among the school population as the country continues its efforts to \u2018manage the risks\u2019 posed by the coronavirus<\/p>\n

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Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended the decision to reopen the nation\u2019s school on September 7, saying the prolonged closure could lead to children losing interest in learning. \u201cWe can\u2019t leave our schools to languish; the cost for keeping our schools closed could be monumental. It could undermine our future development, particularly as it relates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPM: Prolonged Closure Of Schools Could See Students Losing Interest In Learning - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pm-prolonged-closure-of-schools-could-see-students-losing-interest-in-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PM: Prolonged Closure Of Schools Could See Students Losing Interest In Learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended the decision to reopen the nation\u2019s school on September 7, saying the prolonged closure could lead to children losing interest in learning. \u201cWe can\u2019t leave our schools to languish; the cost for keeping our schools closed could be monumental. 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