Recognizing that students have lost a significant amount of instruction time as a result of the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education is channeling efforts into ensuring that students are able to make up for lost time. As such, the department is working on an academic recovery programme.

Dawson Ragunanan, Deputy Chief Education Officer, said the programme seeks to meet the shortfalls encountered due to the loss of instruction.

“The programme will assess the gaps and weaknesses that we are confronted with to ensure that we can put measures in place to meet the needs of students,” he said. “It will start immediately, and we will work with teachers to provide special programs for students via the online modality.”

The Deputy Chief Education Officer indicated that provisions will be made for any child seeking additional lessons at the schools. Mr. Ragunanan explained that the additional lessons will enable students to catch up with lost instruction.

“We are working with CAMDU and curriculum officers to find ways to bridge the gap because we recognize that our students have lost. We are also assessing examinations and how it matches instruction in the classroom. That is important because it determines the validity of the examinations.”

All protocols will be followed as the safety and well-being of students come first, he said.