The impact of the pandemic has been felt across all communities, regardless of nationality, but refugee ones have been amongst the hardest hit. According to the UNHCR, an estimated 4.2 million children and youth of concern have been affected by mandatory school closures across 134 countries in which the UNHCR operate.
At T-PEC, the usual blended-teaching style has been disrupted due to Movement Control Orders (MCOs). All teaching is now fully online. Unfortunately, many students have no (or very weak) home internet access and have experienced a huge loss in learning oppurtunities. In addition, the financial strain of economic lockdown endured by many refugee families has prevented some students from returning to school.
Nevertheless, T-PEC has managed to make a succcesful transition to online learning utilizing digital resources. Lectures and tutorials now occur online at their normal frequencies, albeit with smaller class sizes. Homework and other distance-learning projects have also been succesful thanks to the great enthusiasm of our students and dedication of our volunteers. For students boarding at the centre, health and wellbeing are utmost priorities, and we adhere to UNHCR guidelines for precautionary measures such as bubble isolation and regular device cleaning.
Both our volunteers and students look forward to the end of the MCO at a safe time, but until then, we will continue to do what T-PEC does best: Creating Hope.
If you are keen to volunteer and make a real difference during this trying time:
Or help a child to regain opportunities lost due to financial burden:
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