BELIZE CITY, Mon. June 8, 2020– The Ministry of Education announced today via a press release that it has consulted with stakeholders and health officials on the question of the reopening of schools, which have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the lockdown of the country.
All kindergarten schools, all primary schools and all secondary schools are scheduled to be re-opened on August 10, 2020.
The Ministry of Education has also announced that the new school year will begin on August 10.
ITVET will re-open their new training cycle on August 24, 2020.
The Ministry’s press release warned, however, that the dates it announced today are subject to change based on the advice of national health care authorities.
Tertiary institutions should develop reopening plans and submit requests for permission to reopen to the Chief Education Officer, the press release said.
The release also explained why schools would be opening on the dates announced today.
“An early start to the school year will allow teachers and students to begin to close the learning gaps caused by the extended school closure in the 2019-20 academic year. It will also provide students and teachers with an important head-start in the event of new school closures later in the school year,” the release said.
The release added that the wearing of masks and facial coverings will be based on the national guidelines at the time of the opening of schools.
How are schools expected to assist students in catching up on learning sessions lost during the period of school closure? Schools will need to know where students are in terms of the respective curricula in order to help them get to where they need to be, stated the Ministry.
Consequently, the Ministry of Education will be providing tools and training for teachers and school leaders to ensure that learning recovery programs are based on meaningful assessment of students’ needs. Specific support at the primary and secondary levels of education were mentioned.
The Ministry of Education is designing a system of diagnostic tests for primary schools called the Belize Diagnostic Assessment Test (BDAT). Schools will administer these tests to students on their return to school in order to determine what students know and are able to do, compared to what they were expected to know and be able to do at their class level.
Teachers will use the results of the BDAT to design learning activities that are catered to the needs of each student. Results of the BDAT will NOT be factored into students’ term grades. The press release also raised the question of how students can catch up on the lessons lost during the closure of schools.
In the eventuality that schools need to be closed again, the Ministry of Education said, “All schools will be required to develop a Learning Continuity Plan that can be operationalized in the event of future school closures.”
“Additionally, the Ministry of Education is actively exploring digital learning platforms and devices that can be integrated into the current teaching and learning practices of schools. Strategies to help support parents with home-based learning such as encouraging the utilization of learning benchmarks in literacy and mathematics are also being considered,” stated the Ministry.
All of these efforts will ensure that students, teachers and parents have the capacity and resources necessary to switch more easily to quality distance and home-based learning in the future, the release said.
Feature photo: Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education, Youths, Sports and Culture