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Wondering Wednesday - Could Your Children Study Here?

 

Hello everyone! Welcome to "Wondering Wednesday" where we share insights and experiments from across the globe and inquire how they might work in the Caribbean.

For many of our territories, there have been waves of the Coronavirus and those have led to periodic imposition and relaxation of various public health restrictions. At present, Trinidad and Tobago is under a 3-week period of restrictions where beaches and rivers are off-limits following the Easter holiday weekend and a spike in Covid-19 positive cases.

With these developments, schools remain shut and many children, especially those without devices or Internet connection, are struggling with home-schooling, missing their friends, and deprived of the benefits of social interaction. As the ACE known as Covid-19 wears on, the real concern is that our children may be impacted by it for years to come unless they can have the benefit of effective interventions, coping and resilience building.

So, do you think we can reopen some Caribbean schools safely by allowing your little ones to study at the beach?

We have an abundance of beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. Antigua is said to have one for every day of the year. If we use them as outdoor classrooms rather than leisure spots, could this strategy help to address some of the current challenges in the education sector?

Well, the Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente school in Spain decided to find out with a project known as Fresh Air, which aims to create better air quality for children during the COVID-19 pandemic, including through open-air learning. (Check out the aerial shot below to see the outdoor beach classroom.)

A teacher teaches a class to students of the Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente school, as part of a project known as 'Aire Limpio' [Fresh Air) at the Playa de los Nietos [The Grandchildren's Beach), which aims to use better air quality for children during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, near Cartagena, southern Spain April 8, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Class sizes are small, the students are physically distanced and mask wearing by staff and pupils is practised. The "pros" of the plan include the abundance of fresh sea breeze, that relaxing sense of sand between your toes and the benefit of being in wide open spaces - which health experts have been saying all along helps to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Possible "cons" are the same sea breeze (blowing your books shut and your paper into the ocean), the same sand (getting into parts of your anatomy other than toes), the lapping of the waves (which though relaxing to stressed nerves, can lull one off to Slumberland).

But with only 20 minute classes scheduled and a rotation to accommodate the diverse number of pupils, it seems to be working out for the Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente school in Spain. As the children remain in their bubble and all protocols continue to be observed, thank God, they have had no reported cases of Covid-19.

To read more about the Fresh Air project in Spain, please click here for the Reuters article.

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