Empowering teachers with online strategies for distance education in the Caribbean

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education has been a challenge for many teachers. Reasons include poor or no connectivity, lack of access to devices and online educational resources, and the challenge of moving quickly from the traditional classroom to an online environment. 



In response to the disruption of the Caribbean education system, UNESCO, Blackboard and the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP) at the University of the West Indies, launched a programme with the goal to train 10, 000 teachers in the Caribbean SIDS in the use of online education tools, resources and interactive platforms to effectively engage students through online learning. 

Through UNESCO's Global Education Coalition, a multi-sectoral education coalition to protect the right to education during COVID-19, the Education response to Covid-19: Distance Learning and Teacher Training Strategies in the Caribbean SIDS was launched with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). UNICEF Jamaica supports the training of 6000 teachers from Jamaica.

Teacher voices from the Caribbean

Haynese Carlyle is a class room teacher in rural Jamaica. She has been teaching for more than twenty years and especially enjoys teaching younger children. "They always put a smile on my face, and they are very eager to learn," she explains. Like most of us, the COVID-19 pandemic struck her by surprise.



Read her full story about her challenges during the pandemic-related school closures, and how the Distance Learning and Teacher Training Strategies in the Caribbean SIDS programme helped her adapt to the new online teaching environment here.

Do you want to join the teacher training? 

Contact Naketa West at n.west@unesco.org

More information about: Distance Learning and Teacher Training Strategies in the Caribbean SIDS