Education In Emergencies – Facilitating Home-

Schooling During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Independent Schools’ Unit

September, 2020
Background
There are numerous reasons why parents choose to educate their children at home,
including wanting to customise the education to the individual child, effect religious
practises of the family and for special needs children (i.e. those who are gifted, or have
learning disabilities). However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has
been a considerable increase in the number of parents who have expressed an interest
in home-schooling their children and or to access remote learning experiences.

Research also revealed that in various jurisdictions there has been a rise in the number
of parents who have expressed interest in establishing home-schools. Simultaneously,
most jurisdictions have fortified their distance learning capacity which also facilitate
students accessing education at a remote location such as in the home under
quarantine conditions or in medical facilities (UNESCO). In fact, distance/remote
learning was the preferred approach used by Caribbean countries in providing
educational experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While home-schooling is considered to be a viable alternative to the public education

system in many jurisdictions, it is prohibited in some sections of the globe such as
Japan and Germany. However, in some Provinces in Canada, parents are encouraged
to home-school by way of monetary benefits that are disbursed by the state. During the
COVID-19 pandemic some states in the United States of America such as Georgia Iowa
and Maine have revised and relaxed the requirements for home-schools. This approach
is also taken in Australia where application forms are adjusted and the documentation
supporting the processes may be bypassed such as certification and other
authentication processes.

The Jamaican Context

The Independent Schools’ Unit in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has
the responsibility for the registration, approval and regulation of Home-Schools in
Jamaica. Due to the current effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there exists a growing
demand to establish home-schools, which forms part of the paradigm shift and an
alternative to the public education system.

Home-schools are governed by the Education Act, 1965, and the Independent Schools’
Regulation 1973. The Education Act of 1965 (Part III) Section 21 states:

a) It is the duty of the parent of every child of compulsory school age residing in
a compulsory education area to cause him her to receive full time education
suitable to his age, ability and satisfactory to the educational board for the
area, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
In addition, the Child Care & Protection Act 2005 outlines provisions which protects the
child’s right to quality education. The Child Care & Protection Act (2005) under Part (II),
subsection 28 (1): Duty to secure Education of a child states:

MoEYI/ ISU Home-school Education in Emergencies 2020 (Version 1) 2

 b) “…every person having the custody, charge or care of a child between the
ages four and sixteen years shall take such steps as are necessary to ensure
that the child is enrolled at, and attends school.”

What is Home-Schooling

Home-schooling involves parent/s or guardian/s taking on the task of educating

his/her/their children in the familiar controlled setting of the home. The home-school
system allows children to work at their own pace, in which teaching and learning is
facilitated by parents, family member or a trained tutor at the expense of the
parent/guardian. Parents and guardians who choose to home-school their children,
must take full responsibility to ensure that their children are educated in a safe and
conducive learning environment, guided by the standards provided by the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Information.

In Jamaica, the maximum number for home-schooling is 6 students in any one setting.
A special permission must be granted from the Ministry of Education, Youth &
Information for the home-school to exceed the maximum of six (6) children.
The Independent Schools’ Unit in executing its responsibility in regulating home-schools
performs the following processes:
 Provide information on the standards and guidelines for the registration of home-
schools
 Review and appraise completed applications for submission to the Independent
Schools Committee for approval of registration
 Inspect home facilities and designated records pertinent to the validity and
reliability of the structure and delivery of instructions in home-schools
 Deregistration of home-schools that failed in the maintenance of the basic
standards on the recommendation of Independent Schools Committee.

Home-Schooling vs Distance/Remote Learning

Distance/remote learning is the education of students who may not always be physically
present at a school. Student and the educator, or information source, are not physically
present in a traditional classroom environment. Information is relayed through
technology, such as discussion boards, video conferencing, and various online and
offline platforms. This modality is facilitated in partnership with the school board as per
the approved timetable of the school. Therefore, parents interested in Distance/Remote
Learning should make contact with their school principals.

Through Distance/Remote Learning, students will be educated using the blended

approach (teacher supervision, learning kits where necessary, computer-aided learning,
televised and radio broadcast education etc.) all facilitated by the educators at the
school. With home-schooling however, these activities are undertaken at the expense of
the parent or tutor recruited by the parent.

MoEYI/ ISU Home-school Education in Emergencies 2020 (Version 1) 3

Not all schools will be able to offer remote learning opportunities given their local
contexts. However, parents/guardians and other key stakeholders may work to assist
the school in establishing the facilities to facilitate remote learning thereby ensuring that
the quality of the education being provided is not compromised.

Home-Schooling Amendments for the Jamaican Context as a result of the COVID-

19 Pandemic

With the advent of COVID-19 Pandemic the Ministry of Education, Youth and
Information has made numerous changes to facilitate continuous education of the
nation's children. These changes are inclusive of the home-school registration and
monitoring process. The amendments to the administration and regulatory procedures
for home-schooling will remain in place until a date decided by the Minister guided by
the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Conditional Registration
A conditional registration will be employed to facilitate similar adjustments to
those made in other jurisdictions, in light of the protocols enforced to navigate the
pandemic. To effect this change, an alternate application form will be completed
by each parent who wishes to register a child in home-school. The completed
application form may be scanned with the required certified documents and
emailed to the Independent Schools Unit (ISU) at isu@moey.gov.jm. Where
scanning is not possible the documents can be submitted at the Regional Offices
to the Assistant Registrars. Once the application is submitted, an
acknowledgement email will be sent to parents indicating the receipt of the
documents and that processing has been initiated.

Parent Interview
Following the review of the form and the appropriately certified documents, an
interview session will be scheduled and the parents notified via email with the
virtual link and platform to access the interview session. Following the interview
and recommendation from the Officer the parent will be communicated with via
email regarding the registration status.

MoEYI/ ISU Home-school Education in Emergencies 2020 (Version 1) 4

 Monitoring Process
The monitoring process which involves an inspection visit will be modified during
this period. The inspection visit which forms an essential part of the monitoring
process will be replaced by a virtual session. An appointment will be arranged
between the Officer in the ISU and parents. Following the appointment schedule
the parent will receive an email conveying the virtual link and platform to access
the session. An Officer will observe teaching-learning sessions and provide
feedback to parent/tutor accordingly.

Progress Report
Students’ progress is a pivotal part of the education journey. As such the parent
for each child in home-school will submit a scanned copy of a signed progress
report via email to the ISU using the prescribed progress report form. This form
should be submitted at the end of each school term. Additionally, a copy of the
report should be maintained in the student’s home records and be sent to the
school that the child’s registration is maintained.

Registration and Administration of National Assessments in Home-Schools

The processes of registration and administration of the national assessments are
coordinated by the Student Assessment Unit (SAU) in the Ministry of Education,
Youth & Information (MoEYI). These procedures are facilitated at the MoEYI’s
Regional Offices in which arrangements will be made. As such, each parent with
children in home-school will register students for national assessments at the
Regional Office. The mode of administration of the assessment and related
details will be communicated via bulletin and emails to the parents.

Provision of Resources
Students in home-school are beneficiaries of the MoEYI resources consequent to
availability and student’s needs. Indeed, the MoEYI has bolstered its ability to
facilitate distance learning in a variety of ways to include, but not limited to the
development of MoEYI E-Resources Application, the implementation of a
national Learning Management System (LMS) accessible to all educational
institutions across the island and the provision of access to subsidized
internet/data and technological devices (tablets/computer) to students in need. In
that regard, each parent with a child registered in home-school will be outfitted
with a MoEYI domain that will provide access to G-Suite for Education.
Additionally, parents will have access to the MoEYI E-Resources Application and
devices. Parents will also receive email conveying information with the television,
cable and radio timetabled programs designed by the MoEYI for students across
the education spectrum.

Professional Development and Psychosocial support for Tutors.

The MoEYI continues to enhance its ability to provide high quality education to
the citizenry parallel to the demands of the 21st century. The advent of the
pandemic has advanced this process. As such, the MoEYI has expanded its
efforts to develop training sessions to enhance educators’ ability to diversify their
skills in delivering the curriculum using face-to-face as well as virtual modalities.

MoEYI/ ISU Home-school Education in Emergencies 2020 (Version 1) 5

 Parents with children in home-school will be communicated with via email so they
can benefit from training sessions offered by the MoEYI.

During this period, educators and students may experience mild to severe mental
conditions stemming from the rapid changes precipitating from the different
responses to treating with the pandemic. The MoEYI is cognizant of these
situations and have developed training packages to assist educators and
students to cope accordingly. Information pertinent to access to these sessions
will be emailed to parents with children in home-school. Additionally, the ISU in
collaboration with the Core Curriculum Unit, Student Assessment Unit and
Special Education Unit will continue to develop and conduct training sessions
customized to parents and students in home-schools.

Students Portfolio Maintenance

All parents with children registered in home-school must maintain a student
portfolio. This portfolio will contain samples of student’s work, student’s projects
and pictures depicting student’s involvement in social and other skills-based
activities and records of the student’s academic achievement. This portfolio must
be presented to or shown to the Officer during an inspection session. Also, this
portfolio becomes necessary if and when the student will be immersed or
reintegrated in the public system in the future.

Special Provision for Registration and Attendance for Students who are
Home-Schooled as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Parents who request to have their child/children home-schooled for the new
school year, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, should write to the Board of
Management of the school in which the student is enrolled to indicate that the
child has been approved for home-schooling and to request that their
child’s/children’s registration at the school be retained. This request should be
supported by a certified copy of the approval granted by the Independent
Schools’ Unit for the child to be home-schooled. The attendance records for the
child should be communicated daily via email to the school. Also, the attendance
record should be verified on a monthly basis by the Assistant Registrar of the
Independent Schools’ Unit and a copy submitted to the school principal for
inclusion on the students’ formal records. This should be completed by the first
Friday of the following month of the period being reported on. The child’s
record should be credited with the verified data. This will ensure that students
can be reintegrated in the school, should the decision be taken by the parent as
we continue to navigate the unprecedented demands of the pandemic.

Registration Details

Please see the appended Home-schooling Application Form, Guidelines for registration
subject to COVID-19 and Home-Schools: Education in Emergency document for your
attention.

MoEYI/ ISU Home-school Education in Emergencies 2020 (Version 1) 6

Parents/ Guardians desirous of establishing Home Schools must make contact with Dr
Euphemia Burke-Robinson in the Independent Schools’ Unit via email at
isu@moey.gov.jm.

MoEYI/ ISU Home-school Education in Emergencies 2020 (Version 1) 7