Teachers doing the best they can with what they have
An estimated 40% of teachers in Yucatán do not have adequate internet connectivity in their homes, say state education authorities.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, teachers and students have relied on online education platforms and messaging applications.
“We have built an online learning platform to aid teachers and students, however many teachers have limited access to the internet at home, so they download the materials where they can and then do their best to get resources out to their students,” said Loreto Trujillo Villanueva, director of Yucatán’s education authority.
Earlier: Teachers overcome obstacles to help students in need
Despite the relative success of distance learning programs, such as “Aprende en Casa,” there are growing concerns that students are not having their educational and emotional needs fully met.
Teachers and state education authorities have said that they hope to be able to return to classrooms before the end of the semester, but highlight that this will only be possible once COVID-19 infection rates are under control.
The public education system in Yucatán employs 22,297 educators, teaching kindergarten through grade nine.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
