The 2019 Princess Maha Chakri Awardee from Timor-Leste Enrolls in Distance Learning to Help Students Learning from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected global education system, leading to temporary school closures in 191 countries worldwide. It is estimated that 90% of learners or 1.5 billion students worldwide are affected from the pandemic. Therefore, Timor-Leste, which is an island at the southern end Southeast Asia, is very precautious about the outbreak of the COVID-19, even there is relatively low numbers of reported cases and no death in the country. The Ministry of Education of Timor-Leste has ordered school closure and social distancing policies, and supported distance learnings to encourage teachers and educational personnel to work from home, and students to learn from home.
The 2019 Princess Maha Chakri Award recipient from Timor-Leste, Ms. Lourdes Rangel Goncalves has played an important role to support and inspire distance learning during the spread of COVID-19 for both teachers and students in Timor-Leste. Ms. Goncalves or Mama Lou is a teacher at Matata Primary School, Fillia, Ermera municipality. Her students usually travel approximately 1 -3 kilometers in the mountainous landscape to the school. During the school closure and lockdown, students attend the distance learning to learn from home.
Ms. Goncalves addressed that the temporary school closure order is vital to limit the spreading of COVID-19, and results in teachers’ adaptations to their teaching styles. In the normal time, the school is a part of Child-Friendly Schools program by UNICEF. Therefore, teachers aim to create inclusive learning opportunities for the students by working closely with students and their parents. During the crisis, working inclusively with families and communities is even more important to create meaningful home learnings that the students are in charge of their learning while parents can monitor and support their learning through various means of communications, for instance, newsletters, televisions, telephones and school and community public relations. This demands efforts from the school principal, teachers and parents to learn and support each other.
The 2019 Princess Maha Chakri Award recipient from Timor-Leste, Ms. Lourdes Rangel Goncalves.
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Photo: Ms. Lourdes Rangel Goncalves.
Video : Ministério da Educação, Juventude e Desporto