Op-ed:

A Defunct Education System and it's Revival.

By Umar Abdullah.

Date: Friday 18th September 2020

I'm appalled by the state at which our education system has declined. A country which once boasted of
an education system second to none now leaves one to wonder, where did we go wrong. It is quite
obvious no due diligence was done with respect to the future of education in this country, using online
platforms as opposed to an already overcrowding of classrooms and a diminished standard of teaching
techniques to attract the attention of students.

Imagine every university lecturer is mandated to qualify in online teaching but it's not mandatory for
pre-school, primary, and secondary school teachers. Now that COVID-19 is likened to the proverbial
"monkey on our backs", it is absolutely clear how unprepared we were. And for those who prefer the
response "We never expected a pandemic of this nature", is living in denial, because far too long we
have been bombarded with advanced technology in the field of teaching and learning but refused to
advance our thinking. This " donkey politics" approach to education by this government became more
apparent when they squashed the "laptop program" introduced and implemented by the Kamla
Administration. This program would have allowed for further innovative solutions to teaching and
learning as it would have open a door into the new millennial age, where it would have given us the
advantage before the onset of this pandemic.

Now that the Ministry of Education has been caught "sleeping on the job", a lot of homes have been
disrupted, production in the workplace has declined and students are disenfranchised as a result. The
government needs to seriously address this matter with urgency.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

Students and their parents are frustrated and overwhelmed since there was no assessment done into
whether or not homes had connectivity, or were equipped with the necessary devices, and whether or
not students and parents had training in the use of online platforms. Some homes don't have
connectivity let alone devices. Parents are often left with the option of data usage which is never reliable
and very expensive and those without devices are forced to buy one of the knock off brands that are
offered at exuberant prices. These knock off brands don't have the capacity to work these platforms.

A lot of homes have only one device and a number of students. It's impossible to share one device when
all children are required to sign in. Many of the times this one device is a phone that may not have the
memory and the capacity needed for such a task.

The Internet providers themselves are ill-equipped to facilitate all these online users. Video and online
teaching platforms would require greater upload speeds and lower download speeds as opposed to
what is being offered presently; greater download speeds and slower upload speeds. Under the present
offerings by network providers, the household owner would now be required to provide advanced high-
speed connectivity and this can only mean one thing; 5G. This obviously would come at a higher cost.
Where is the money going to come from, when already they are faced with job cuts and losses, reduced
income, and a failed government assistance program where persons are yet to receive relief grants
promised to them. Not to mention the health risk that comes with it.

Schools are using different platforms to conduct classes, these range from the Blackboard Collaborate
Online Tuition Software, and platforms such as Zoom, Google Class, and Microsoft Team. This creates
even greater confusion as children from the same home go to different schools. Zoom being the
simplest of all is a paid platform and is often the platform of choice by the higher learning institutions,
except UWI which uses the Blackboard Collaborate Online Tuition Software. Early childhood, primary
and secondary schools do not have the capacity to pay hence their choice of free platforms. These
platforms are periodically bombarded with ads thus creating a distraction which would in turn make
learning difficult.

Teachers have not been trained and are refusing to be trained, to use these platforms, and are learning
"on the go" together with the parent and child. This affects the relationship between the teacher and
child, as the child would see the teacher as incompetent and would lose respect as a result. Some
teachers also do not have devices and proper connectivity hence further compounding the problem.

This phenomenon has caused schooling to take on a new dimension. In Trinidad and Tobago, every
home now has become a school; rooms that once provided a comforting space now has taken on the
resemblance of a classroom, with parents acting as teachers. Should there be an expectation that the
responsibility which was exclusive to the school whilst students are in attendance would now be shared
by the Ministry of Education and the parents? With parents having to devote more time away from their
jobs and other responsibilities, should they be compensated or given some sort of incentives? These
newly formed schools are now geographically located in very close proximity to Bars, Pubs, and
Gambling Dens. How would the law which states that these establishments cannot be in close proximity
to a school or learning institution be applied? These are the state of affairs that has now come into
existence due to a lack of planning, foresight, and proper decision making.

SOLUTION

The government should have seen this coming and not blame COVID-19 for their own incompetence.
The 5G infrastructure is already in place and our service providers are just waiting on us to demand
higher speeds before the 5G technology is rolled out. (you're) "damned if you do and damned if you
don't", 5G is here to stay, whether you like it or not. This was their plan all along. Create a pandemic,
shut down the schools, forcing online teaching, and increase the demand for higher speeds.

Here are some suggestions as to how the government can solve this issue.

Subsidize the cost of devices for middle-income families and provide devices free of charge, for low
income and unemployed families at selected retail and wholesale outlets offering particular brands only.
The Head of the household can be asked to produce at least one form of ID and a payslip. Those
unemployed can be asked to produce in addition to their ID, a recommendation letter from a recognized
institution or a recognized religious body.
The government, in conjunction with selected Internet providers, can allow schools free access to the
internet of the required bandwidth; i.e. higher upload speeds rather than the lower upload speeds;
which is being offered now, between the hours of 8 am to 3 pm (Duration of School). This can be done
through a portal only accessible by the teachers by using a special teacher/school ID, using one specific
online platform, such as the Blackboard collaborate online tuition platform, which can be brought by the
government with multiple licenses and given to the schools. By using Wireless Local Area Networking
(WLAN), the teacher would be able to teach and provide content to the students without the student
requiring an internet connection. This can be done using the already installed 5G infrastructure from the
Access Point Main Antenna and fed wirelessly to the students in any part of Trinidad and Tobago. These
Access Point Antennas have a range of up to 25kms.

Presently using the 4G infrastructure the capacity of a CAT 5 cable is 100 MB per/sec and a CAT 6 cable
has a capacity of 1000 MB per/sec which can service between 500 - 500,000 students. The difference
with using the 5G infrastructure is that it has a capacity of 3000 MB per/sec. It is becoming more
apparent, that this is a planned strategy by world governments to force households to run begging for
higher speeds, hence the reason why 5G technology will be offered. We can circumvent the wide use of
this 5G technology by using WLAN for a lot less, across the board.

The government can allow students who fall out of this bracket to attend normal school. The numbers in
class would be reduced considerably, there should be no interchanging between classes and strict
COVID-19 protocols should be observed. These classes can then be streamed online using the preferred
platform to benefit those students with devices at home.

In treating with this new dynamic, the government must now rethink its strategies and policies. The
education act must be revisited and amended to reflect the new normal as it relates to education and
learning. The act must address these newly created schools (homes) and the shared responsibility that
parents, now have with respect to the mandate and responsibly of the Ministry of Education. Parents
must be compensated and a support mechanism must be put in place now that they have taken on and
doing half the work teachers and schools are required to do according to the act.

This administration must stand guided by these recommendations. The government must seriously
commit themselves to understand the plight of its citizens in achieving competence in our education
system as the future of our beautiful nation lies in the hands of our youth and future generations.

Umar Abdullah
Head of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front)
Tel: +18687870765 or +18683656253