Community Buy-In and Collaboration: Two Keys to Navigating COVID19
Community Buy-In and Collaboration: Two Keys to Navigating COVID19
When the curfew was first announced on March 13th, teachers at Our Lady’s Upper School had to rally together and help each other come up with innovative solutions that would keep students engaged and learning during lockdown.
Technology was soon to become an important part of everyone’s lives, as learning moved from the classroom to online. But, to effectively leverage this technology, school administrators needed buy-in from all the teachers, parents and students.
“50 percent of the parents didn’t even know how to use an android phone, or register on a website” observed Rector Rev. Fr.M. Shiwantha Rodrigo, “Many of our teachers were not comfortable with some of the technology either - how to record and upload youtube videos or how to host a session on Zoom.”
Even when Rector Rev. Fr.M. Shiwantha Rodrigo started to have doubts, it was the strength of his team and his community that persevered. “There were 3 or 4 teachers who were good in IT”, he says, “...and they were backing me, telling me we can do it, you can do it. They helped so much in bringing the less technologically adept teachers on board and helped to build trust with parents.” he says.
Indeed, parents also had to be convinced that the new normal would require new methods.
“We also had to convince parents that smartphones and computers, previously banned in school, were now essential learning tools. We also had to help them learn to use these technologies. Without this initial buy-in, nothing would have been possible”, Father Rodrigo says.
The role of parents in remote education was further emphasized by Mr. Shashi Jayasingha, History Teacher.
“One of the big challenges was this - how do we monitor the students from afar? How do we ensure that they are doing the work they say they are? To address this issue, we needed the parents. Parents would sign off on daily worksheets, confirming that a child had worked that day. In instances where children were lagging behind, we alerted parents who would help us to follow up, pushing their children to do their work and helping them wherever possible”, says Mr. Shashi
Ramuditha, a Grade 11 O-level student, emphasizes the fact that what he achieved could not have been done alone. “Even during lockdown my parents helped me a lot with my studies. Me and my friends also helped each other to learn during this period whenever we had difficulties.”
Parents helped in other unexpected ways as well. For example, when the school administration wanted to put together a website that would act as the online learning hub for the entire school, it was a parent who took the reins and helped to develop the website.
Father Rector Rev. Fr.M. Shiwantha Rodrigo smiles in appreciation as he recounts,
“You know when you usually develop a website you have a limit to call the developer right? But since I got help from a parent, I could call him 101 times! It was very easy for me to work with him because he was one of the parents. I am really grateful for this support during the crisis” .
“I would say that about 98 percent of students and parents supported us. This was really important to our success” says Rector Rev. Fr.M. Shiwantha Rodrigo Rev.
No doubt, the students are a critical piece of the puzzle as well because their diligence and hard work during curfew was central to their academic progress. But their role didn’t end there. Now, with school in session once again, students have taken centre stage in managing their own lives and ensuring their own health and well-being.
This broad cooperation has manifested itself in tangible ways after the resumption of school as well. Everyone is pitching in.
Now we are careful to take all precautions - physical distancing, temperature checks, masks and visors. Children are not allowed to share food now. Classes have been split into smaller class sizes to ensure physical distancing. None of these measures could be implemented successfully without the cooperation and help of the students and support staff”,
Mrs. Thatchayani points out that every class in school now has a Student Health Committee which is responsible for the health and hygiene of their classrooms and classmates. Their daily tasks include ensuring that sanitizers are always available, that each child brings three masks to school, that each child brings their own garbage bags and takes their own garbage home, and that classrooms are regularly cleaned.
Other stakeholders have also come to the fore. Rector Rev. Fr.M. Shiwantha Rodrigo points out the invaluable assistance of transport providers and support staff in helping to get school started again.
“The bus conductors and owners who take children to and from school were very helpful and flexible in devising new, effective bus routes and safety guidelines that would ensure safe transport for all”.
Rector Rev. Fr.M. Shiwantha Rodrigo sums it up well when he says,
, “I got so much support from my staff. It’s the same for the parents and others. Without their support, none of this would have been possible. I am very grateful for the support of this community”.
The story of Our Lady’s Upper School is a story of resilience. It is a powerful example of community and collaboration triumphing in the face of crisis. It is something that we can learn from and apply in our own communities as we continue to navigate this crisis and others in the future.
UNICEF has played a part in supporting communities nationwide as they continue to grapple with the pandemic. Interventions in the education sector have focused on identifying and assisting underserved students and families who face particular challenges when it comes to distance learning. To address these needs, UNICEF has provided curricular content for blended learning, carried out competency-assessments to identify and address learning gaps, and rolled out an awareness campaign at all levels to promote knowledge of IPC guidelines and instil confidence in a safe return to school.
