PM Urged To Reallocate Funds from Vaccine Campaign to Education

Child advocate Betty-Ann Blaine is making an appeal to the Prime Minister, to use a portion of the funds allocated for the COVID-19 vaccine, toward public education in order to improve the quality of education across the island.

She says this would benefit the country in the long run, as millions of children have already been deprived of their right to learn.

An increase in public outcry has led to the cabinet reconsidering the allocation of 400 million dollars for public education and promotion of COVID-19 vaccines. The concerns are that the money could be better spent in other critical and under-resourced areas.

Betty-Ann Blaine believes one of the areas that’s been disadvantaged due to the pandemic, is the teaching-learning process. Despite implementing the ‘government’s laptop or tablet per child initiative’ and donations by private sector organizations, the challenges of connectivity persist.

And some children have not been able to access the virtual classroom. Several schools across the island have reopened for face-to-face learning and have been impacted by suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. 

Blaine sees online schooling as a solution to any further spread of the virus.