COVID-19 expected to widen educational opportunity gap in Maine

By Kathreen Harrison

Iminsi cumi nitandatu ishobora guhindura byinshi mu gihe gito. Tariki 10 Werurwe, mbere gato y’uko Maine itangaza umurwayi wa COVID-19, Xavier Botana, umuyobozi w’amashuri  ya Leta mu karere ka Portland yatangarije inama nkuru y’amashuri muri Portland ingengo y’imari ya 2021. Muri iyi ngengo y’imari Botana akaba yariyemeje kugabanya icyuho hagati y’abanyeshuri bifite n’abatishoboye muri Maine.

 

“Iyo tugereranije imibare y’abana bakomoka mu miryango yifashije n’abava muyibayeho nabi dusangamo ikinyuranyo” Uku niko Xavier Botana yasobanuriye inama nkuru y’amashuri ku mugoroba w’iriya tariki.  Abishyizeho umutima, guhangana n’icyuho hagati y’abanyeshuri babayeho neza n’ababayeho nabi, Botana yatangaje uburyo bwo kubigeraho.

Tariki 26 Werurwe, nyuma y’iminsi 11 Guverineri Mills asabye ko amashuri afunga, iminsi 16 nyuma y’aho Botana atangarije ingengo y’Imari, ikigo cy’urusobe rw’indimi n’imico cya Portland ndetse na Portland Empowered byatumije inama yarimo n’abahagarariye imiryango y’abimukira  hamwe n’ababatera ingabo mu bitugu.  Muri iyi nama Botana n’abandi bagaragaje impungenge batewe n’ifungwa ry’amashuri bivuye kuri COVID-19 bishobora kurushaho kongera icyuho cy’ubusumbane hagati y’abanyeshuri bifashije n’abatifashije.

Botana agira ati: “iri fungwa ry’amashuri rizazamura icyuho hagati y’abanyeshuri. Abifashije bazagira uburyo buhagije bwo kwiga bari mu rugo naho abatifashije ntabwo bazabona.” Aya magambo ye yahuriranye n’ibisa nkibyo yari yarahanuye.

Muri Maine ndetse no mu gihugu hose abarimu bahuye n’ingorane zo gufasha abana bataha mu miryango idafite ikoranabuhanga rihagije, abanyeshuri bigaga icyongereza, abana bafite ababyeyi batavuga icyongereza cg  abataragiye ku ishuri  ndetse n’abatarigiye hano muri Amerika bituma batamenyera uko amashuri yiga hano.Habaye ingorane kandi kugera ku bana batagira aho baba, aba babarwa nk’abanyengorane kurusha abandi mu turere twose kabone niyo ibihe bimeze neza. Hagati aho abana bafite imiryango imeze neza bakomeje kwiga bifashishije ibyo amashuri abaha ndetse n’ibyo ababyeyi babo bongeramo.

“Icyorezo cya COVID-19 cyaje kwenyegeza ibyari ubusumbane hagati y’abana bishoboye n’abatishoboye bwagaragaraga mu burezi muri Maine” ibi ni ibitangazwa na Dr . Abdullahi Ahmed, umuyobozi w’ishuri ryisumbuye rya Deering High School muri Portland.  Agira ati:  “Tekereza kuba mu rugo n’abana bose ku mwimukira utavuga icyongereza abana bafite ubwoba-Iki cyorezo kirerekana neza imibereho y’abatishoboye. Abari mu kiciro cyo hagati cy’ubukungu bafite ubufasha bwabagenewe.Urugero bana bose ntibafite interineti mu rugo bikaba byaragaragariye abarimu muri iki  gihe cy’icyorezo. Nta kiza cyavuye muri iki cyorezo kirenze kuba byaragaragaye ko abana bakennye batitaweho uko bikwiriye na gahunda y’uburezi .”

 

Todd Finn, umuyobozi w’amashuri ya Leta muri Lewiston aganira n’ikinyamakuru tariki 16 Mata ku murongo wa telephone, yagize icyo avuga ku banyeshuri biga icyongereza ndetse anavuga ku busumbane bugaragara mu burezi: “Nk’akarere ka kabiri mu bunini muri Maine, dufite abanyeshuri bagera ku bihumbi bitandatu banditse kwiga icyongereza, igihumbi muri bo bakenera ubufasha bwihariye, abarenga icyane biga icyongereza  ndetse hakabamo abana bavuga indimi zigera kuri 52 zitandukanye. Abarenga 64% bahagaze nabi mu bukungu.”

Finn yasobanye intambwe enye bahanganamo n’iki cyorezo nk’abarezi. Babanza kugeza ibiribwa ku bana babikeneye, bakabaha mudasobwa ndetse na interineti. Ufatiye tariki 16 Mata , ukwezi kumwe nyuma y’ifungwa ry’amashuri, Fin avuga ko nibura ikiciro cyambere cyo gutanga mudasobwa cyarangiye hifashishijwe izo bahawe nk’impano nizo baguze. Atekereza ko bahagaze neza kuba abana kuva mu kiburamwaka kugeza mu mwaka wa 12 nibura bafite mudasobwa mu mashuri ya Lewiston.

 

Nyamara nubwo abana bafite ibikoresho, abatishoboye benshi ntibabashije kujya kuri murandasi ngo babashe kwiga kandi aribwo buryo basigaranye bwo kwiga muri Maine. Finn agira ati: “Hari ababa bafite mudasobwa ariko ntibagire interineti, twakoze amagenzura ngo turebe ibyo abana bafite nibyo badafite kugirango babashe gukurikira amasomo, turi kureba uduce tutageramo intrineti nutuyifite-ni akazi gakomeje  utavuga ko kanoze neza.”   Mu yandi magambo, tariki 16 Mata, bisa naho hari haciye ukwezi kumwe abana batiga, kandi si Lewiston gusa kuko ababyeyi n’abarezi mu gihugu hose bakomeje kuvuga abana batabasha kwiga kuri murandasi.

Kugera kuri Interineti ni ikibazo kiri mu gihugu hose nkuko bitangazwa na Kelli A. Deveaux, umuyobozi ushinzwe itumanaho muri deparitoma y’uburezi ya Maine. Tariki 27 Mata yanditse ubutumwa murandasi agira ati: “ Dutekereza ko hari abanyeshuri bagera kuri 25,000 badafite mudasobwa cg se interineti ngo babashe gukurikira amasomo y’iyakure. Turi kubikoraho duhereye mu duce twasigaye inyuma nka Piscataquis aho tumaze gufasha abana bagera ku 500 tubaha mudasobwa ndeste nuburyo bagera kuri interineti. Turakomeza kandi gutegura ubufasha buzatuma abanyeshuri bose bagera kuri interineti bakabasha kwiga muri Maine”

Imiryango y’abimukira ikomeza kuvuga ko abana babo batari kubasha kwiga iyakure bitewe n’ikibazo cy’ururimi ndetse n’ikoranabuhanga ryifashishwa. “ Ikoreshwa rya zoom ntirikoreshwa mu ngo zimwe na zimwe-uku ni ko umubyeyi umwe yadutangarije.Hari ikinyuranyo mubyo abarimu basaba ndetse nibibera mu ngo.”

 

Undi mubyeyi utazi gusoma icyongereza yavuze ko ishuri ry’abana be rimwoherereza amasomo y’abana ariko ko ntacyo abamariye: “Ibyo bohereje biri aho ariko ntituzi icyo tugomba kubimarisha.”

Ababyeyi batangaza ko abana bari mu ngo nibura zirimo abiga mu mashuri yisumbuyeho gato bafite amahirwe kuko babafasha. Gusa abana benshi bari mu ngo zitarimo abandi bana bakuru bafite ingorane zo kutagira icyo bakora yaba kuri interineti cg se ibyoherezwa mu ngo.

Mu nkuru Kevin Mahnken yanditse mu kinyamakuru The 74  tariki 5 Gicurasi yagize ati : “Intera mu mibereho, amoko n’uturere yavuye ahabona yimukira kuri murandasi yari yarakozwe ngo ibe ihuriro ringana kuri bose. Abana bakeneye gukoresha interineti cyane nibo basigaye inyuma mu kuyigeraho.”

N’abo bana babasha kugera kuri interineti hari ingorane kugira ngo babashe guhura n’abarezi kuko byorohera kwiga abana imbonankubone, ibikorwa by’umubiri ndetse n’ahigishirizwa n’ibihazengurutse. Iyo wigisha abana kuri telephone, cg kuri interineti abanyeshuri n’abana basabwa cyane guhanga udushya twinshi ngo ibyigwa bisobanuke nkuko byatangajwe na Devreaux.

Imitandukanire mu misusire y’uduce twa Maine kandi nayo ifite uruhare mu mitandukanire y’ifashwa ry’abana b’abimukira. Urugero umugi wa Portland uteye ku buryo wari waramaze kwitegura gufasha abana b’abimukira kuko bahatuye ari benshi. Ikigo nka Portland Empowered na santeri y’urusobe rw’indimi n’umuco  kiyobowe na Grace Valenzuela biri ku isonga mu gufasha muri iki gihe. Nta kandi karere k’amashuri ka Maine gafite ikigo nkacyo.

 

Nyamara nubwo bimeze bityo, nta karere k’amashuri ko muri Miane kakwigamba ko kageze 100% ku gufasha abana bigamo muri aya mezi abiri ashize nkuko Botana abitangaza: “Muri Portland twabashije gufasha 90% byabana, tuzi uko bameze, tuzi nibyo bakeneye-dufite n’ishusho y’uko 10% basigaye bamerewe kandi kubageza ku rugero rw’abandi nicyo abarimu, abakozi batandukanye bahugiyeho.”

Nkuko bitangazwa nimibare ya deparitoma y’uburezi muri Maine, uyu mwaka abanyeshuri bagera ku 5,655 3% biga icyongereza mu mashuri abanza n’ayibumbuye. Indimi eshanu nkuru zivugwa n’aba banyeshuri ni igisomali, icyarabu, igiporutigali, igisipanishi n’igifaransa mu gihe muri Maine yose abanyeshuri bari kwiga icyongereza bavuga mu ndimi zigera ku 109. Zirindwi ku icumi muri zo ni indimi zivugwa muri Afurika harimo igiswahili, Lingala, n’Ikinyarwanda.

Aha bivuze ko mu gihe abarimu bahangayikishijwe no gusoza umwaka w’amashuri barimo no guteganyiriza umwaka utaha wa 2020-2021. Barasuzumira hamwe ingamba zitandukanye mu gihe ntawuzi igihe amashuri azafungurira.

“Ubusanzwe twiga uburyo bubiri cg butatu –ubu noneho turi ku buryo hafi umunani twazifashisha mu gihe kiri imbere” ibi ni ibyatangajwe na Sonja Santelises, umuyobozi w’amashuri mu mujyi wa Baltimore avugira mu nama y’iyakure yaciye kuri Televiziyo  ingamba bafashe zo guhangana na COVID-19. Bumwe muburyo yavuze harimo nko gukaza intera hagati y’abana umunsi ukaba muremure, guhinduranya iminsi yo kwigaho, kwiga igice cy’umunsi, gutaha kare watangiye kare mu gihe ibicurane bizaba byiyongereye, abarimu bafata abanyeshuri bakabakurikirana igihe kirekire ndetse no gukorera ku ya kure nkuko biri kugenda.

Muri iyi nama kandi yiswe “Getting Ready for the New (Ab)normal,” Perezida Stephen Pruitt w’akarere k’amashuri k’amajepfo yavuze ko azi neza ko hazabaho ingorane mu duce twose ndetse ko ntawe bitazagiraho ingaruka.” Avuga ko uburyo bw’isuzumabumenyi nabwo buzahinduka. Abarezi bamwe bafite impungenge ko abanyeshuri izi ngorane bazazijyana mu mizamukire mu burezi bikagira ingaruka ku batishoboye.. Pruitt we ntabikozwa aho avuga ko abana bazakurikiranwa aho bari hose bagafashwa. Kuri we ngo hazitabwaho ubuzima nimibereho myiza yabo ari nako bazamurwa mu myigire bityo ingorane ziveho.

 

Mu nama yatumijwe na Portland Empowered tariki ya 1 Gicurasi, yarimo abayobozi b’abimukira Botana yongeye gushimangira arangaje imbere iringanira mu mashuri ayoboye nkuko yari yabitangaje tariki 10 Werurwe. Yavuze ku gufasha abiga icyongereza, kugabanya icyuho mu mahirwe ndetse no kuringaniza ibitaringaniye. Ikipe y’abarimu iyobowe n’uwungirije Botana, Aaron Townsend yatangiye guhura no kuganira ku mwaka utaha. Ese tuzasubira mu mashuri nk’ibisanzwe? Wenda duhane intera-Botana abyibazaho byinshi.

Muri Maine uburezi buyoborerwa cyane cyane ku rwego rw’inama nkuru z’ibigo ndetse n’ubuyobozi bw’uburezi-bishatse kuvuga ko ingorane abimukira bahura nazo zigenda zitandukana ugendeye ku karere. Uburyo bwo kuzikemura nabwo kandi ni uko-aho uturere tumwe twabashize kugera kuri abo banyeshuri ku buryo bugaragara. Icyorezo cya COVID-19 cyashyize uburezi mu isi yose ahababaza. Nyamara umwaka wa 2020-2021 usigaje amezi atatu ngo utangire, aho uturere twose dufite amahirwe angana yo kureba niba abana batishoboye nk’ababimukira bafite ibyangombwa nkenerwa kugira ngo bazabashe kugira umwaka w’uburezi mwiza kandi utanga umusaruro.