Schools remain open amid taxi strike

The Ministry of Education and Youth is advising school administrators to keep the doors of institutions open Monday, even if not enough teachers and students turn up for school.

Hundreds of students and scores of teachers are unable to get to their respective schools as transport operators have withdrawn their services in protest of the government not granting an amnesty to facilitate payment for outstanding traffic tickets.

The ministry, by way of a bulletin on Monday, said students and teachers who report to school should not be sent home.

“The efforts to manage this disruption must be coordinated, even if teachers and other staff are affected by the strike and are unable to report to school or to report to school on time,” the ministry said.

The bulletin said principals should assess available staffing support, devise a management and learning plan and share it with the staff, gather the students and staff, conduct devotion, and provide clear instructions concerning the schedule for the school day.

“Principals may assign learning tasks by regrouping the students based on available staffing and ensure that meal arrangement are in place. 

The communication channels should be activated, and decisions concerning school operations must be shared with key stakeholders, including parents. 

The safety of the staff and students as well as effective leadership of the situation are critical at this time,” the bulletin said. 

The communique from the ministry offered some basic tips that school administrators should observe during this period of strike or disruption.

It said schools should activate school communication channels to share information and respond to queries, as necessary.

 Also, activate the education plan to support the continuity of education in an emergency, if the disruption does not permit face-to-face classes.

“Given the current circumstances, permission is granted for school boards to use the mixed modalities approach based on their context and the impact of the ongoing strike by the taxi operators. 

Use may be made of remote learning, that is, seated/assigned readings and worksheets/workbooks/textbook exercises or research or virtual learning (synchronous or asynchronous or hybrid), televised learning and face-to-face learning,” the communique read. 

The ministry also advised schools to ensure students are picked up from school or dismissed from school with the knowledge of the parents/guardians at a reasonable time, given the limited access to transportation. 

Where possible, school leaders should make use of their school buses to assist with the transportation needs of the students and staff. 

The ministry also urged school administrators and all other key stakeholders to remain vigilant and to continue to await the necessary updates from the Ministry of Education and Youth through the regional offices and the media.