Playlist: Jewel Fraser's Portfolio
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COVID-19 Exposes Caribbean Education System's Inequities
From Jewel Fraser | Part of the COVID-19 and Its impact on Caribbean Students series | 12:38
In this first podcast in the series sponsored by the National Geographic Society's COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists, we hear from an economically disadvantaged mother whose husband struggles to provide for his family. She shares how the shift to online learning in Barbados stretched her family's already limited resources to the limit, and her strategies for ensuring her son could continue his education. Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association president Mrs. Antonia De Freitas and Asja Girls' College chemistry teacher Ms. Sherry Khan also share the struggles many disadvantaged students are facing and how the pandemic has further exacerbated the barriers to their learning. We also hear the experiences of some directly affected here in Trinidad. And we share the expert insights and analysis of Dr. Didacus Jules, former head of the Caribbean Examinations Council and current Director General of the OECS, on the topic.
In this first podcast in the series sponsored by the National Geographic Society's COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists, we hear from an economically disadvantaged mother whose husband struggles to provide for his family. She shares how the shift to online learning in Barbados stretched her family's already limited resources to the limit, and her strategies for ensuring her son could continue his education. Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association president Mrs. Antonia De Freitas and Asja Girls' College chemistry teacher Ms. Sherry Khan also share the struggles many disadvantaged students are facing and how the pandemic has further exacerbated the barriers to their learning. We also hear the experiences of some directly affected here in Trinidad. And we share the expert insights and analysis of Dr. Didacus Jules, former head of the Caribbean Examinations Council and current Director General of the OECS, on the topic.
Caribbean Roiled by Adjustments to Exams in 2020
From Jewel Fraser | Part of the COVID-19 and Its impact on Caribbean Students series | 14:16
This second podcast looks at the debacle that unfolded following the CXC's adjustment of school-leaving examinations in 2020 in the face of the pandemic. Through the voices of those affected in Barbados and Trinidad, the podcast depicts the subsequent protests by parents, students and teachers and their struggles with the Caribbean Examinations Council to have the poor grades awarded in 2020 rescinded. We hear the impact of the lower grades on students' plans and dreams and the thoughts of an attorney-at-law who is helping the affected parties in their bid to seek redress. The podcast also calls into question the Caribbean education system's obsession with high-stakes exams as the final determinant of children's future and worth.
This second podcast looks at the debacle that unfolded following the CXC's adjustment of school-leaving examinations in 2020 in the face of the pandemic. Through the voices of those affected in Barbados and Trinidad, the podcast depicts the subsequent protests by parents, students and teachers and their struggles with the Caribbean Examinations Council to have the poor grades awarded in 2020 rescinded. We hear the impact of the lower grades on students' plans and dreams and the thoughts of an attorney-at-law who is helping the affected parties in their bid to seek redress. The podcast also calls into question the Caribbean education system's obsession with high-stakes exams as the final determinant of children's future and worth.
COVID-19 Presents Opportunity to Rethink Caribbean Education
From Jewel Fraser | Part of the COVID-19 and Its impact on Caribbean Students series | 13:24
In the final episode of this NatGeo-funded series, we hear from education experts in the region. Dr. Didacus Jules, former head of the Caribbean Examinations Council and current Director General of the OECS, explains where the current system of education is failing the region and one initiative being undertaken by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in an effort to help fix the problem.
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In the final episode of this NatGeo-funded series, we hear from education experts in the region. Dr. Didacus Jules, former head of the Caribbean Examinations Council and current Director General of the OECS, explains where the current system of education is failing the region and one initiative being undertaken by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in an effort to help fix the problem.