Children that do not have access to online platforms will continue to receive the same level of support and activities that others are now accessing online – Akbar

Minister for Education Rosy Akbar says that children that do not have access to online platforms or devices will continue to receive the same level of support and activities that children are now accessing online.

Akbar highlighted this when questioned by SODELPA MP Tanya Waqanika to update parliament on the measures taken by the Ministry to ensure that students without access to internet connection and electronic devices, can still undertake lessons from their teachers for the duration of this second wave of COVID-19 infections.

She says teachers, parents and communities will continue to assist in every possible way in terms of providing these children with worksheets.

Akbar says out of the thousands of primary schools that they have only 85 are not connected and out of the 175 secondary schools, only 3 are not connected.

She says it is not about schools being connected but it is about communities being connected and devices available in the homes of the children.

Akbar says when schools closed on the 21st of April this year the Ministry immediately rolled out a number of initiatives for all students from Years 1 to 13 to ensure that some form of learning continues.

She says the Ministry also developed supplementary learning materials for students and for teachers who do not have access to devices, data and resources, they allow them to use school-based resources.

Akbar adds that the Ministry has fully released the free education grant and schools are authorized to use the funds to facilitate these materials.

Akbar adds when schools are closed for a longer period of time, a huge or small percentage may not want to return to school and that is why they are using the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Facility Program to run a counselling program for their child protection officers.