Federation’s teachers lauded by Junior Education Minister

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – YESTERDAY (Oct. 5), as St. Kitts and Nevis joined the rest of the world in recognising the efforts of teachers, the Junior Education Minister on Nevis, Troy Liburd, applauded the work of the educators in the Federation.
 
In an address to recognise October 5 as World Teachers Day, the Minister acknowledged the efforts teachers are making during the pandemic the world over.
 
“As the Junior Minister with Responsibility for Education, it is an honour for me to take this opportunity to highlight and applaud teachers throughout the world, but specifically the teachers on Nevis for their continued investment toward developing and shaping our nation.
 
“The year has brought unprecedented challenges. Our school system was unexpectedly brought to a halt in March when the COVID-19 pandemic reached our shores. Many of our teachers, whose hearts and minds are always fixed on their children, found creative ways to maintain contact and to minimise learning loss.”
 
Teachers in the Federation and across the world were made to reinvent teaching methods to adapt to the lockdown and the new normal of social distancing.
 
Minister Liburd pointed to some of the innovative ways teachers have been reaching parents and students, with the inclusion of the use of videos and WhatsApp chats.
 
“There are teachers who made it their priority to deliver packages to their students when it was safe to do so. There are teachers who created websites and YouTube channels. Why? So that they could continue their mandate to serve our children! Kudos to all teachers who went above and beyond to reach our students during the lockdown.
 
“Our teachers also embarked on herculean tasks of transitioning to remote and online learning in an attempt to continuously support our students. Several teachers considered themselves to be digital survivors, while others viewed themselves to be digital natives.
 
“To my mind, all teachers can proudly wear the title of digital champions. Teachers overcame many obstacles in the months of extended lockdowns. They learned to navigate the Federation’s selected platform, Microsoft Teams. They also learned to effectively teach students online, and ways they could keep students engaged when there was no way to have physical contact.”
 
He notes that many teachers have set aside their personal discomforts, fears and reservations and placed their students first by banding together to provide mentorship and support.
 
“When we embarked on the 2020-2021 school year, teachers were faced with the realities of the new normal – the wearing of masks, increased cleaning and sanitisation, temperature checks and physical distancing. They were asked to rethink the ways that student interactions take place, and the ways they managed their classrooms. Once again, teachers have risen to the occasion. They are on the frontlines keeping our children safe every day.”
 
Even as educators in St. Kitts and Nevis work to deal with the changes of teaching in the era of COVID-19, those concerns are being amplified with the reopening of the borders at the end of the month and how that will impact the future sessions for them and their students.