Education: The 2021 (Post-COVID) Edition

Abstract

Having marked the first anniversary of the year that no one wanted to remember, many questions about the new normal, shifted educational dynamics and how these alterations have affected teachers and learners worldwide have surfaced. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in schools being shut-down worldwide; prompting critical questions about what learners are feeling, and their percep-tions of this new-normal. With this abrupt shift away from physical classrooms globally, queries persist about whether the adoption of online/remote learning will continue post-pandemic, and how such a swing would influence the interna-tional education market. The virus upended many established systems in Trini-dad and Tobago’s social, economic, political and education systems, around which the country’s existence once functioned, propelling it into an era of digital learning which has inadvertently provided the momentous occasion to redesign education cultures in the twin-island. This may be the opportunity to seek out methods of innovating and maximizing learning potential to the fullest. To achieve this, a student perception survey was carried out to gather information on challenges and gaps related to e-learning/remote modalities from the lens of learners, to identify and inform enhanced teaching methods and guidance for planning, programming and evaluations related to this new, 2021 edition of teaching in Trinidad and Tobago. It was crucial to identify students’ have been perceptions and reactions at the ground level and to continuously refine, reengi-neer, and look for opportunities to upskill and develop teaching methodologies and workplans to meet the needs of learners and help them continue their learn-ing journey in a more efficient manner. The exercise also contributed to identi-fying existing capacities and gaps to improve upon current education offerings and respond mainly to learners’ needs and identify where support needs to be redirected.