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Letter of the Day | National honour for Tandeka McKoy-Phipps

Published:Tuesday | October 27, 2020 | 12:09 AM
Tandeka McKoy-Phipps.
Tandeka McKoy-Phipps.

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Jamaica has one the most committed and dedicated teachers who go the extra mile to ensure that in this COVID-19 pandemic every child gets educated, even with the little resources that are available to them.

Tandeka McKoy-Phipps is one such teacher whose services need to be recognised. I would like to ask Prime Minister Andrew Holness to recommend Tandeka McKoy-Phipps to the governor general to be conferred the Order of Jamaica (OJ) for her excellent contribution to education. She thought out of the box and uses community notice boards or walls to write lessons for children who do not have access to online education.

McKoy-Phipps is leading the way and is showing us as a nation that we don’t have to risk the lives of our children, and also help school administrators not to rush and start face-to-face classes in this time when COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Opening the schools right now is not advisable. McKoy-Phipps’ efforts are even more commendable to bring education to children who not have access to laptop or a tablet, and even the Internet. The Government is trying to supply all schools with these gadgets, but funding is limited, with money being spent on COVID-19 care packages and providing hospitals with much-needed equipment.

In this time, the need is to find innovative ways to ensure that children get education, and McKoy-Phipps’ initiative deserves the highest recognition and honour.

ROBERT LEWARS

lewars72@yahoo.com