In the face of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the education community, the Federaçao Caboverdiana dos Professores (FECAP) has urged the Government of Cape Verde to suspend teaching activities throughout the national territory for a 14-day period.
In a letter addressed to the Education Minister on 7 May, FECAP urges that “urgent measures be taken” to fight the “significant increase” of the pandemic in the educational community, “a situation that will sooner or later become out of control”.
Evaluation of students
The education union suggested that, as the academic year is ending, it is possible to sufficiently evaluate students to determine the transition or not to the next education level. It said a review of the evaluation could be done at a later stage to decide if the negative views during the transition would be definitive or not.
In relation to the students at tertiary level, FECAP proposed that evaluations be made without later review, because all education processes at this level come to a close at the end of May.
Mass vaccination of educators
As a preventive measure for the next academic year, FECAP general secretary and member of Education International’s Africa Regional Committee, Abraão Borges, urged the government to ensure “the mass vaccination” of teachers, school staff, and students at tertiary education level.
“So that education does not stop in the country and that all students continue to receive an education, FECAP demands that all children have equal access to remote education, video and audio classes throughout the national territory and that the poorest families get support to access distance teaching and learning,” he underlined.
The organisation also urged the Education Ministry to increase the initial or continuous training of teachers in the use of new technology tools for “uncertain futures”. It stressed that “to save education is to save a nation”.