The Tribune

IT is easy to think as we look around at our day-to-day living that the spectre of COVID-19 is behind us. It is not.

First of all, there is the virus itself. Cases still happen. People still need treatment. The medical system still has to deal with the consequences, the costs, the care.

Then there is the aftermath of what went before – not least of all the long periods of lockdown.

Those had an economic toll, of course. The shutdowns of international travel wreaked havoc with our economy, so dependent on tourism.

Then there were the more intangible costs – especially to our children.

When schools shut down to reduce the spread of the virus, children were forced to learn from home. Some succeeded in that. Some struggled. Given the situation – with some families struggling for income and having to make decisions between food and electricity connection, some were unable to deal with the possibility of learning over the internet at all.

Then there were some who simply disconnected – disengaged from school entirely.

The situation many of those students find themselves in now has been dubbed “learning loss” – the difference between where they are in terms of their education and where they should be.

Tens of thousands of students have now been tested to see exactly what that measure of learning loss is – and the need, according to Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, is urgent.

Yesterday, she said that the findings of the tests were “cause for significant concern”.

The areas most in need are New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera.

So how will the country deal with this? There will be summer programmes, early classes, “at-home remediation” which sounds like homework to me, and help from other agencies.

Mrs Hanna-Martin is under no illusions – “this is not a small task,” she says.

Whether it is short-term or long-term remains to be seen.

The loss has not just been educational, but emotional. As students returned to school after the lockdowns, one school counsellor told The Tribune how there were behavioural problems to begin with. The cause? Children had gone through many months of physical growth but did not have the social growth to go with it. Simply put, their bodies were bigger than they knew what to do with. Bumps became fights. Snapped words became full-blown arguments. For some, they had to relearn how to learn – sitting in a classroom and listening again.

Getting children back involved and making up for lost time is vital – to stop a generation being left behind.

We need to find a way to ensure that this generation of children emerges from school equipped for their future. If we do not, it hurts them, and it hurts our society, our nation.

So we applaud Mrs Hanna-Martin for focusing on the problem. At the same time, we recognise this should not be a burden shouldered by schools alone – so the involvement of non-government agencies is also welcome.

Getting our children back on the path to achieve the best they can is a truly important goal – one that should bring together all sides. All parties. Government and non-government. Schools and parents. Everyone.

We must make it count.