The Ministry
of Basic and Secondary Education has revealed that 674, 300 children under the
purview of MoBSE from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to senior secondary
schools have been affected with the closure of schools. This closure, however,
excludes tertiary institutions, the ministry clarifies.
This message
was relayed to the public by the DPS, Administration at MoBSE, Adama Jimba
Jobe, during the live panel programme at QTV on Thursday with other panelists
such as; deputy secretary general of GTU, Essa Sowe and Lamin K. Marong,
representing Conference of Principals. The session was moderated by Mr. Ade
Daramy.
“This implies
that children from ECD to senior secondary schools; whether public or boarding
schools are staying at home right now which indicates that it would be
difficult for schools to achieve 100 percent school contact hours,” DPS Jobe
explained.
According to
DPS Jobe, schools cannot get 100 % contact hours as at now. But it can be
minimised because of the steps MoBSE and partners are currently taking. Key
among those steps, he said is the use of media platforms for children to have
access to their lesson while staying at home.
Lamin K.
Marong, on behalf of the Conference of Principals, appealed to all school heads
to create WhatsApp groups for their schools so that lessons can be reached out
to the students.
Conference of
Principals which include both public and private senior schools, Marong revealed, have already created WhatsApp groups where they do discuss all range
of educational issues.
According to
Marong, they are concerned about the safety of students and teachers, adding
that by the time of announcing the closure of schools, some students were
already on their local exams.
“The issue
here is we are concern about grade nine and grade 12 exams, which are regional
and as the situation is at now, if MoBSE come out with timetable for schools,
we will share it with various schools’ WhatsApp groups,” Marong assured.
Essa Sowe,
deputy secretary general of GTU, adduced that when President Adama Barrow announced
the closure of schools, MoBSE conducted series of meetings with its
stakeholders.
“The meetings
were based on three main objectives; namely: to make sure schools are safe, to
ensure that children are at home to learn their lessons through various media
platforms and to ensure that relevant and time are shared,” Sowe explained.
Sowe
described the current situation in the country as a national issue, but was
quick to add that MoBSE constituted wider engagements with its stakeholders.
“Different
media platforms will be used to conduct lessons. And let me inform our viewers
that “Science and Technology directorates” under MoBSE are developing some
curriculum materials that would be relate to the children through various
mediums while children are at home,” Sowe explained.