Irish ELT schools and unis back online during national restrictions
Ireland has returned to its highest level of Covid-19 restrictions, meaning that English language schools, colleges and higher education institutions will deliver primarily online for the following six weeks. Since Thursday 22nd October, the Irish government has placed the country on Level 5 of its Plan for Living with Covid-19 in an attempt to stop a recent rise in infections.
Under this plan, primary and secondary schools will remain open as essential services, but other educational institutions will operate online for a period of six weeks. Some essential services in the higher education sector that cannot take place online, such as laboratory workshops and on-campus research, may continue at the discretion of the institution.
Several English language schools had reopened for face-to-face courses during the summer, mostly for students who had remained in Ireland throughout the pandemic. When the country returns to Level 3, schools will be able to resume face-to-face tuition.
David O’Grady, CEO of Marketing English in Ireland (MEI), said to StudyTravel Magazine: “Both schools and students are very disappointed at this development. Great effort and preparation (and resources) had gone into the reopening of our schools, some of whom had been open since the end of July. Students were happy to be back face-to-face again and enjoyed the socialised context, albeit within the parameters of social distancing.”
He stated that the most important thing for the sector now was that Irish embassies issue visas for English language students that applied for the course to study from December onwards. A special article on Ireland at the StudyTravel Magazine explored how schools have adapted and developed online programmes during the pandemic in Ireland. The schools have been praised for quickly creating and improving online delivery since the initial lockdown by sector associations.
As an example, Cork English College (CEC) has introduced a new E-learning platform to enhance the student experience even more. A full and varied virtual programme was in place also so students can keep in touch with each other and CEC staff during the lockdown period. The teaching and administration teams have been ready and available to support all students during that time. The school claims that their online classes match the quality and professionalism of face-to-face classes, with students able to access the same number of tuition hours live.
Many English language schools will deliver online classes and are hopeful that the experience from the previous lockdown will help them to cope with the situation more manageable.
Most higher education institutions were already delivering mostly online and praised the collective efforts of staff and students. It has been a challenging time for students and those working in further and higher education. Still, the programmes will continue to operate primarily online for the remainder of this semester due to the restrictions. The review of the position with relevant institutions and stakeholders will be after the country returns back to level 3.
