Rethinking Welsh Education
From Planet 242
by Rajvi Glasbrook Griffiths
In a series that proposes how society could change for the better in response to Covid-19, headteacher Rajvi Glasbrook Griffiths reflects on what has been learnt under lockdown about how to instil a distinct and pluralistic sense of Welsh identity, how to re-conceive of ‘wellbeing’ in relation to achievement, and a new way of understanding equality.
Despite the glow of hope that is beginning to be kindled from the vaccine rollout in Wales, the effects of a pandemic that has bent our reality out of shape are here for a long while. The loss of thousands of lives, the impact on physical and mental health, and the deep disruption to nearly every facet of society will leave few of any generation untouched.
Understandably, much of the focus so far has been on the virus itself, the elderly and vulnerable people most susceptible to its harm, and on the care and health services protecting us all. Less broad or balanced has been the focus on young people and education. Mass media coverage of schooling – of teachers, unions, governmental handling and indeed even of the young people themselves – has ranged between extremes. There have been many more criticisms than there have been supportive solutions. There has also been much wrangled negotiation between unions, Welsh Government officials and local authorities over the balancing of options and ways forward.
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