New Pressure Group CUSP Formed In Gibraltar

 A new pressure group has been formed called the Civil Union of Students and Parents (CUSP) Gibraltar.

 

 

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 Hon 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.

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 coronovirus (COVID 19) related deaths linked to occupations, suggests staff in educational settings tend not to be at greater risk than many other occupations.  There is no evidence of children transmitting the virus to adults and in the whole of the UK population of 67 million people, only 10 deaths have been registered in the <19 age group 'due to covid', the majority having very serious pre-existing conditions according to Proff Chris Whatty the UK Chief Medical Advisor. He continues that children less commonly get a severe illness and end up having to be hospitalised.

Proff Whitty also England's Chief Medical Officer said; "Many more (children) were likely to be harmed by not going, than harmed by going to school." He states that children and staff are more likely to contract the virus at home than in school and the transmission rate is low. The students, their teachers and school staff  have been mixing with the general population on the beach, with their peers out in a social setting and risk does not change from one day to the next.

It is with this in mind that we require assurance that local schools will be opening for students in the coming weeks for the full prescribed educational hours. We have noted that the start dates are only for a few hours a day and we are admament that for their social and educational well being, the students need to get back to as near normal schooling as soon as possible.

The children need focus and guidance from their teachers and interaction from their peers for their educational and mental wellbeing.

It is imperitive that schools open with simple messages of hygiene, washing hands regularily and covering sneezes according to epidemologist Prof Sian Griffith. He believes that the biggest risk of transmission are in staff rooms or work rooms within the schools and we have asked if measures are in place to control this risk.  

In addition, in the event of a major rise in hospitalisations directly from COVID and Gibraltar suffers from social restrictions once again, we would like assurance that there is a plan B and the provisions and infrastructure is in place to deliver lessons online.

A spokesperson form the group says “We will be consulting with our members on further issues and will continue to work with the Department of Education, to ensure that the students in Gibraltar have the best excellence in their educational experiences as possible. “