Observing how the COVID-19 scenario is evolving, one can fully understand those parents who are worried about the prospects of sending their children back to school in September. Not opening school at all, however, would have long-term negative effects on children, both academically, and on the socio-emotional and psychological well-being of our students. This applies even more for those vulnerable children who for one reason or another do not have the required academic and emotional support at home to be able to continue learning.

Returning to school as normal might still be dangerous and irresponsible, especially when the World Health Organisation is insisting that the virus spread is far from over. We are also experiencing a second wave with alarming numbers. At the same time, we cannot ignore the importance of opening schools to allow students to socialise.

We need to reflect on a new normal – a normal that takes into consideration two healthy ingredients: a curriculum which builds on previous knowledge and a space where students socialise and feel they belong to a community of learners – where the psychological well-being of students is catered for.

To achieve some form of normality we need to allow the schools to open – we need to congregate and allow time for children to meet, play and socialise. The proposal to leave vulnerable children to learn remotely while the rest follow from the classroom offers pedagogical challenges. How can we expect teachers to follow those who are in the classroom and at the same time have the attention of those who are following from home? What about technical bandwidth problems? Who will take care of those children who remain at home? How can we expect students to follow the same timetable from home, day in day out?

I would like to propose a solution which in my opinion is pedagogically sound. The proposal requires that the ministry coordinates its two portfolios, namely education and employment.

This proposed solution would require the involvement of the employment sector to support the efforts of the schools. Science informs us that someone that contracts the virus can take up to 14 days to start showing symptoms. Therefore, the idea is for the schools to work on a 14-day cycle while dividing the school population into two or more clusters or bubbles. There will be those clusters that attend school on premises with as normal a learning environment as one would expect, while the other cluster would remain at home and follow an adapted timetable, following lessons remotely.

Pedagogically there needs to be a substantially different methodology for those who are following lessons remotely. While new content should be given when they are physically at school, consolidation work and practice could be left for the period in which they are working remotely. This remote time could also be used to prepare material to be later discussed when they return to the classroom.

I would also add that we should encourage students to dedicate a stipulated amount of time to leisure reading. In this situation the role of the teacher would be one of providing consolidation activities in the various curriculum areas and to find time during the school day to discuss online the day’s activities. On the other hand, school time would be dedicated to assessing acquired knowledge and skills and introducing students to new knowledge. This time should also emphasise socialisation and psychosocial well-being.

Not opening school at all would have long-term negative effects on children- Colin Calleja

For the above solution to be successful one needs the collaboration of the employers. When students, in particular students of a certain age, are to work remotely from home, parents should be present. In the case of working parents, they need to be given the possibility to accumulate more hours when they are working from the place of work and/or work remotely through teleworking.

This solution will also require a change from the normal in the educators’ work practices. Teachers and learning support educators (LSEs) should work collaboratively. While some would be focussing on work and on materials for face-to-face lessons, others will be preparing and supporting students who are following remotely. This will hopefully make it possible for these educators to give the entitlement that all students have the right to while at the same time not encroaching on their family time.

I also believe that during the time when children are at school an emphasis on the students’ psychological well-being through subjects like PSCD, religion and ethics should be emphasised. Time to play with friends should have priority.

In this situation there are many other considerations that should be thought of. From the experience of the first lockdown we learnt that when schools closed, a good number of students, mainly those coming from poor socio-economic backgrounds and students with migrant backgrounds and others who had academic or complex difficulties due to disability, either vanished or had many difficulties to cope with. We therefore need to find ways of reaching out to these children and ensure that they don’t continue to disappear.

Research has shown that students who have had a positive learning experience for three years in a row significantly outperform average students.

A student who has had an outstanding experience for just one year will remain ahead of their peers for the next few years.  Unfortunately, the opposite is also true – a student with even one negative learning experience may not catch up with his peers for up to three years, and having one good year following a negative one would not fully compensate for the effect of an ineffective one.

Worse still, we know that students with three bad learning experiences in a row rarely catch up at all (William and Rivers, 1996).

If we don’t want to end with a generation lost and psychologically and academically maimed we need to do our best to give these children, as far as possible, the normality that they deserve.

At the same time we need to do our utmost to give them a safe place where they can learn and socialise without fear of contracting the virus.

Colin Calleja is Dean, Faculty of Education.