Education pressure group formed

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 Thursday, August 27, 2020 - 09:32

The Civil Union of Students and Parents (CUSP) Gibraltar is a newly formed pressure group comprising of parents and students, who aim to represent the best interests of all students who are partaking in education in Gibraltar, or on a Gibraltar Educational Scholarship Award elsewhere.

We will be rolling out our membership in the next few weeks and we encourage every student and parent who is advocating for their underage child to join us and have a positive impact in your child’s educational wellbeing. Please join the Facebook group of the same name.

We will be tackling all educational issues going forward and act as a portal for students to get their concerns heard, so look forward to developing a good relationship with both the Department of Education and the new Minister for Education Dr John Cortes.

Historically Gibraltar’s education system has been based on adults making decisions with the best interests of the students at heart. Sadly as we have seen during recent events, students have been left feeling disillusioned and unheard.

It’s time to break the narrative and give young people a voice. Global characters such as Greta Thunburg have demonstrated that our young people not only have a voice, but are more than capable of expressing their needs and our failings.

PRIMARY CONCERN

A statement adds: Our primary concern at the current time, is the safe return of our students to full time education and teaching of the curriculum. Both private schools and the state funded Hebrew school has continued with curriculum throughout the lockdown period via online lessons. The majority of their peers in the UK have also continued with their education during this time even in lesser socio economic or affluent areas. This means that our children have extra pressure to catch up the four months lost and have now spent six months without following the curriculum. This will have an negative impact as our students are assessed at the same level as these peers using the same standards and testing methods.

United Kingdom schools will be opening, subject to the Guidance for Full Opening of Schools - UK Government website (last updated 7 August 2020). We have asked the Department of Education to clarify the measures that will take place in order for the safe return to education.

Prevalence of coronavirus has decreased in the recent months and in relation to schools, the Office of National Statistics analysis of coronavirus (COVID 19) related deaths linked to occupations, suggests staff in educational settings tend not to be at greater risk than many other occupations.

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27-08-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR