By Christina Williams, President of the Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students (JUTS). (Video at end of article)

It is estimated that 1.4 billion students worldwide were affected by school closures during the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, and 1.8 million plus hours of learning were lost during the same period.

In Jamaica these global figures manifested in the following ways:

-    As the student from a rural town who had to visit the neighbour to access their internet, typically because they could not afford mobile data plans, or their data plan was inadequate to support online classes.

-    As the student from an inner-city community who had no working device on which to access their classes or had to share a device with other members in their household. At other times, it was the middle-class student, in possession of their own Wi-Fi-powered device who struggled to access online classes and complete assignments due to poor internet connectivity.

These challenges were to be expected in a country that at the onset of the pandemic, only had a 55% internet penetration rate or nearly 1.3 million users, with only 30% of students surveyed having access to the internet and 6% having no access to any device.

Nonetheless, there were some key interventions such as the Ministry of Education's tablet in schools’ initiative and the use of media and print to supplement online resources. There were also initiatives led by young people such as sponsorship drives for data and devices and the landmark zero rating of over 100 online learning platforms.

However, despite these and other interventions, reports from the Minister of Education, Fayval Williams, in 2021 said more than 120, 000 students were still lost in the school system. Consequently, many local and international authorities theorized that a full resumption of the face-to-face modality was the most effective solution at eliminating the gaps associated with online learning and engagement.

While this may work in some instances, the creation of an accessible and robust education system that is responsive to different situations must include multiple delivery modalities. Consider the recent taxi strike and how schools with functioning online platforms were able to efficiently facilitate classes with limited interruptions to learning while others completely reliant on face-to-face went into a tailspin.

The Jamaica Tertiary Students Union has engaged numerous students and student leaders across 30 plus post-secondary institutions who insist on having the option to choose their preferred way of learning engagement, particularly those who are pursuing employment in order to fund their studies.

These are necessary changes to the nation's key education policies and legislation.

The availability of digital platforms and Infrastructure which allows students to earn and learn, is a fundamental supplement to the current provisions of student loans and scholarships/grants which have long proved inadequate in satisfying the demands for tertiary financing.

Moreover, when we consider that only 27% of Jamaicans have enrolled in tertiary education with a lower percentage graduating, and that almost 70% of the labour force is unskilled with no recognizable certification/qualification, then an environment that facilitates flexible learning pathways is crucial to shifting these numbers in a positive direction.

Simply put, it is irresponsible to tell the people that we cannot or will not fund their efforts to advance their knowledge and skills but still create barriers such as the confinement to classrooms and inflexible schedules that prevent them from pursuing opportunities for self-financing.

It is even more hypocritical to then turn around and describe these young people as unpatriotic when they seek out opportunities abroad.

Similarly, within the spaces of employment and entrepreneurship, there are ongoing calls for young people to pursue global connections and solutions with local impact. However, we lack reliable and affordable internet access for knowledge gathering, sharing, networking and commerce. Our people face high import taxes on technological devices and unfortunately must still contend with antiquated ideas around remote/hybrid work and business systems which is reflected in government and private sector policies and practices.

The UNDP’s Ready Set Great Youth in Development showcase series proposed a number of youth-led solutions to increase digital inclusion including a novel framework we branded COVINNECTED. It was advised that aside from bolstering internet connectivity and availability of devices, we must ensure training in the effective use of online learning platforms for both users and administrators; psychosocial interventions to ensure that users are engaged and supported; and integration of accessible features and learning pathways for persons with disabilities, from the design phase.

For Jamaica, it is critical to invest in making the internet more affordable and reliable with a reach greater than the current 68.2% of the population. We must ensure that every young person can access the devices needed for school and employment. Their ideas should be supported through government policy and private sector partnerships that promote youth-driven innovation, partnerships and opportunities. Youth advocates who led the UNDP’s Ready Set Great series in 2020 also concluded that the provision of reliable infrastructure to facilitate online transactions and e-commerce is a necessary intervention that will exponentially boost earn and learn, career and entrepreneurship options for students.

Digital inclusion is key to Jamaica’s transformation. We can only achieve this if we are far reaching in our policy and practices, while respecting the advice and experiences of those who are being left behind, including young people.

Christina Williams is President of the Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students (JUTS). Send feedback to ms.csswilliams@gmail.com.  This article is part of a series written by youth partners of UNDP’s annual Ready Set Great Youth in Development showcase. Visit www.readysetgreatja.com for more information.