The Big Issues

Lessons for Going Back to Virtual School

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Antigua and Barbuda's students will again learn from home, as COVID-19 infections force a halt to face-to-face classes. Low bandwidth, too few devices in the home, a parent who needs to be at work, endless distractions, and disconnectedness from the teacher are some of the hurdles that must be overcome to teach thousands of children online.


In this segment, a principal, a teacher, and a lecturer in education psychology share their frank opinions about the challenges online school presents to teachers, students and parents. They use lessons already learned from virtual schooling in the COVID-19 era to inform parents and policymakers on how best to manage the virtual experience and problems associated with it. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


The guests are:

  1. Jacintha Pringle, English language and English literature teacher at the St. Joseph's Academy. She is a former national Director of Education, occupying that office from 2005 and 2015.  
  2. Foster Roberts, Principal of the Ottos Comprehensive School, one of Antigua and Barbuda’s many secondary schools.
  3. Dr. Sharline Cole, a lecturer in Educational Psychology at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona School of Education.


    4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 7, 2021.

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    The Big IssuesBy The Big Issues Production Team