Dear Editor,
From all appearances the Ministry of Education (MOE) continues to place ‘new wine in an ancient wineskin.’ As a consequence, intended outcomes never seem to materialize, and the unintended outcomes are seldom anticipated, or catered for. Needs at every level have changed, but MOE appears unwilling, or incapable of adapting. The MOE desperately needs to enhance its overall capacity, particularly its research capacity by the establishment of a research unit, staffed by a qualified team of education researchers.
If the report ‘No promotion for students who fail Maths, English,’(SN, July 5) is accurate, then the process by which the proposed revised policy of the automatic promotion was arrived at is flawed. The reasons are 1) Face-to-face consultations between authorities and small numbers of chosen stakeholders do not, for various reasons (herd instinct, feelings of intimidation, sycophancy), facilitate honest and objective feedback; 2) many of the parents who should attend these consultations do not, either because of previous commitments, or feelings of intimidation; 3) stakeholders who would have been affected most by the policy were not consulted; 4) apparently, no independent observers, or representatives of the press were invited to any of the 30 consultations; and most importantly, 5) the revision appears to be based, for the most part, on the personal (subjective) opinions of the more vocal stakeholders who were present at the consultations, and not on hard objective evidence.
A more comprehensive, and accurate picture of stakeholder opinion could have been obtained from an analysis of the responses to a validated survey instrument that guaranteed anonymity. There are several aspects of the proposed revised policy that give reason for concern.
First, it would appear that all the blame for not achieving the required proficiency in English and Mathematics rests entirely with the students, and that teacher absenteeism (official or unofficial), teacher incompetence or lack of professionalism, or current educational organization, policy and practices were not factored in into the deliberations that led to the revised policy.
Second, the goal of the revised policy is narrow in scope. The emphasis is on standardized achievement and minimum competence: “it will enable students to graduate with the minimum re-quirement of five CSEC subjects, inclusive of Mathema-tics and English…” rather than on the wider and more inclusive outcome of maximum achievement and full the full development of human potential. Wider and more inclusive outcomes have the potential to make our youth more capable of positive contributions to the development of this nation in vastly superior numbers than is presently the case.
Third, students risk being sent out into the modern world partially blind, or with only one eye open: “Manickchand stated that if a student… fails to attain the overall passing grade he/she …will be encouraged or even required to drop the areas in which he/she underperformed.” This kind of schooling results in the separation of cultures, and is the origin of much conflict between bureaucrats and professionals. One of the distinctive features of quality secondary education is that it is essentially general education. In other words, the secondary phase of education is the one period in the entire formal education process in which learners are exposed to all major significant areas of human endeavour or knowledge. Secondary school graduates must possess the know-how by which they can distinguish, discern, and discriminate. They must possess that broad critical sense by which they recognize competence and worth in every field.
Fourth, the devaluation of Art and Physical Education by the Minister is unfortunate. It suggests a lack of cooperation and collaboration between certain human service ministries – Culture, Youth and Sport, and Health. Quite recently health authorities have again been drawing attention to non-communicable chronic diseases (for example, diabetes, hypertension/high blood pressure, obesity), and the increasing burden that these diseases are placing on our national resources. These diseases, more often than not, are related to an inactive lifestyle. Hence the value of physical education, exposure to a variety of sports, and even art forms during the formative years. In Guyana – the land of many waters ‒ every student should be afforded the opportunity to learn to swim, and to be competent at rendering First Aid. Further, evidence from education research points to the relationship between physical activity and improved classroom performance.
Notwithstanding all of above, it does appear that MOE is genuinely seeking a win-win resolution to this particular issue, but there is need to adopt a holistic, or systems approach. In the context of what is needed for the development and modernization of this nation, the educational bar must be raised from standardized achievement and minimum competence, to maximum achievement and full development of human potential – from a 5-subject matriculation to fulfilling the full credit requirements of a Secondary School Leaving Diploma (SSLD). Students will still be able to take their CSECs, but credits must be earned in all the major significant fields of human knowledge, and in some co-/extracurricular areas to be awarded the SSLD. These changes will require some restructuring, administrative and curricular reorganization.
This alternative that is being offered for consideration is based upon the following assumptions: 1) that MOE is genuine in its search for a win-win resolution; 2) that the required organizational changes will be executed; 3) that every teacher is a teacher of English language, and that teacher competence is directly related to classroom achievement; 4) that different stages of cognitive development and rates of learning are characteristic of any given age cohort of students; and particularly, 5) that confidence and self-esteem result when students discover what they can do well and strive to develop their unique talents and gifts. When we accept identity as the first dimension of human greatness and a primary goal of education, we unleash a force that offers the greatest potential for personal growth and development: a person’s self-image. The achievements of every student ought to be equally acknowledged and rewarded.
Students must not repeat the grade or drop any subjects. Provide 90-minute after school tutoring/coaching sessions twice per week, plus 6-week mandatory summer sessions at strategically located schools for at risk students. Tutoring/teaching/coaching should be by special teams of teachers, seniors, or peers as deemed appropriate. Teams should be encouraged to innovate, for example with the use of drama, or English as a second language. Each team should include at least one representative from a subject area or field in which concrete phenomena can be used to simulate abstract concepts (for example, a teacher of biological sciences). Weather permitting, classes/field trips should be held in a variety of interesting outdoor environments as often as possible, and teams of cooperating students (with alternating roles) must be required to write reports that contain both qualitative and quantitative data. There must be verbal presentations by different team members at different sessions. Every step in a mathematical computation must be supported in writing, and there must be continuous assessment and prompt feedback. Since the progress of individual students will vary, a student should be able to take a passing out examination whenever s/he feels ready, and as often as necessary in order to fulfil the SSLD credit requirements.
Finally, since the admission requirements of the University of Guyana are based on fifth form achievements, to help facilitate the above, it is recommend that the two-year sixth form be replaced by a two-year fifth form. Freed resources can be reallocated to other secondary schools in the effort to establish a national network of quality secondary schools that would be of great benefit to many more students than is presently the case.
Yours faithfully
Clarence O Perry
