Readjusting to school-life post Covid-19 |30 March 2021
Yesterday marked the 3rd week since primary and secondary schools, along with most post-secondary institutions, have been opened again.
On Friday, Seychelles NATION visited four schools – Beau Vallon and Plaisance secondary, and Mont Fleuri and Grand Anse Mahé primary – to see how well they have adjusted to the new normal.
All of the schools were prepared, each in their own way, to align their operations with the Covid-19 health guidelines, classes have been separated to ensure social distancing, reminders and markings have been displayed over school compounds to remind the children to be mindful, the wearing of facemasks have been made mandatory, to name a few.
The main challenges the head teachers said their schools have faced were the difference in academic advancements among children of the same class; some are further ahead in the curriculum than others, which causes repeated teaching and loss of time.
The head teacher of Mont Fleuri primary school, Daniella Vidot, expressed her satisfaction with how smoothly the school has been running, with the cooperation of both pupils and teachers, even though many adjustments had to be made.
“Most of our pupils and teachers are adapting well to their new school life,” said head teacher Vidot.
While secondary schools like Beau Vallon were having some challenges when it comes to attendance, the deputy head teacher, Marie-Chantale Nicole, explained how the school management continuously has to reach out to parents to ensure that their children come to school. She asks that parents step up and make sure their children are present in school to prevent a large difference in the academic advancements of the students.
She also stressed that parents who are in quarantine should not send their children to school.
Most of the head teachers noted that this new-normal school life has brought forth many advantages and opportunities for the development of education in Seychelles, and that the schools are on the road to adapting and overcoming the challenges introduced by the pandemic.
Iza Amade