Report from Instituto Básico Comunitario San Antonio María Claret

Dear Members of the TEACH Board of Directors:

Please accept my cordial greetings and wishes of success. I hope Our Lord and Creator of the Universe showers His blessings upon your daily endeavors.

The purpose of this report is to inform you about the operation of the education center operating in the Village of Semuy to provide secondary education to our community or sector.

The coronavirus pandemic that is affecting the entire world is present in our municipality of El Estor. Thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christ, it has not reached Semuy, but because of the carelessness of some irresponsible people who are not practicing social distancing in our country, I believe it will involve the communities, given that some people are not observing the sanitary safety measures when they visit the towns.

In reply to the questions I received from you:

1.    Did the girls living in the dormitory have to return to their villages because of the Covid-19 pandemic? How many girls are now living in the dormitory?

They are not living in the dormitory because we are observing the orders issued by the President that are currently in force in our country so as to avoid sanctions imposed by the authorities. The girls had to go home with their families to protect themselves.

The teacher, however, is still living in the dormitory because she is required to prepare her plans and study guides of which one copy is distributed to the students and another to the office of the schools’ supervisor by order of the Ministry of Education.

The teacher works on the Natural Sciences, Physical Education, and Dance courses that seven girls are still taking.

2.    Have there been any coronavirus cases among the students or their family members or among staff members?

Blessed be God! None of us in the teaching staff or student body has tested positive for coronavirus; I understand that neither have the students’ family members.

3.    How are the students being taught? In person, or from afar with computers, cellphones, or other means

Students are receiving study guides, a strategy known as “I Learn at Home” that has been implemented by the Ministry of Education. The teaching materials are available on the MINEDUC platform that is distributed to students.

We prepare our own teaching guide based on our curriculum. Each teacher gives me the teaching guides for the courses he/she teaches and I photocopy them and return them to them ready to be distributed to students. Students appear in person, by grade, wearing masks, to receive their guides. Students who have questions come to see their teachers. We do it that way because we do not have telephone signal coverage.

According to the Ministry of Education schools will not open again during this school year. The year will go on using the strategy “I learn at home” until  it ends.

Here are some photos of students handing in the portfolios containing the schoolwork they have done at home using the teaching guides.

We will continue to pray that sponsors may continue their support because our youngsters need the opportunity to receive a secondary education in their own communities while living at home with their families.

Thank you very much, warm regards, God bless you,

Sincerely,Ernesto Coc Xol