Dear Editor,
Considerable alarm has been expressed over the fact that of 220 candidates who were admitted to the School of Nursing, 120 of the cohort wrote an examination at which only 19 were successful. Stated more concisely, it can be said that less than 10% of the original intake (220) completed the training programme successfully. However, since the levels of proficiency of the passes were not indicated, no accurate evaluation of the candidates’ performance is possible. But, can you imagine a hospital staffed by nurses who may be only 50% proficient in nursing competencies? At the recent 2013 graduation of teachers held at the Cyril Potter College of Education it was reported that of an intake of over 700 candidates, only 336 completed their programmes successfully.
Both of these events are significant examples of educational wastage and an even greater waste of scarce resources. But must the School of Nursing and the Cyril Potter College of Education take all the blame for these catastrophic phenomena? Certainly not! At times comments appear that are critical of the performances, or competencies of categories of workers, whether in the public service, the security services, or the private sector.
What do all these individuals have in common? They are all products of the Guyanese school system.
These phenomena are all symptoms of a deeper and systemic malaise that plagues the public school system. Educational deficits are cumulative. If school environments at the lower levels of the school system do not facilitate the development of appropriate attitudes, and the establishment of an adequate foundation of learning skills, then successful achievements in further education and training are virtually impossible – sometimes even in spite of the most intensive remedial interventions. It does not make too much sense blaming parents, many of whom may also be educationally challenged, having themselves been short-changed by the very school system a generation or two before.
Some time ago Dr Henry Jeffrey, a former Education Minister of the present PPP/C government, drew attention to the huge numbers of functional illiterates that are produced annually by the school system. It would appear that such an authentic comment has not been given the serious attention it deserved. Has the Ministry of Education (MOE), bothered to research this issue in order to identify strategic loci for adequate interventions?
A recent press release about what the standard class sizes permitted at various levels of the school system are, is a stark indication that MOE needs to urgently review its non-academic standards with a view to modernizing (and democratizing), a school system that is not only archaic, but obsolete as well. Much of what is being done has lost its relevance, and far too many resources are being squandered on becoming more efficient or better at doing the wrong things.
If MOE wishes to facilitate the professionalization of the teaching service by having teachers adopt professional standards, then it behoves the MOE to provide enabling environments that will facilitate the implantation of professional standards. Many of those ‘stated’ standard class sizes would hardly provide enabling environments. It would be grossly unfair to hold teachers to certain professional standards if MOE does not provide critical support by ensuring that class sizes are conducive to the maintenance of professional teaching standards.
An independent commission of inquiry into the practice of education in Guyana is long overdue. Such an inquiry is needed to place the entire system under the microscope and give it the attention it so urgently deserves. The MOE’s public consultation process is flawed, and cannot be relied upon. Guyana’s future is at risk. Tinkering with the system no longer serves any purpose, a holistic approach is demanded. As a consequence, any parliamentary consideration of the proposed new Education Bill should be delayed since findings from an independent commission could be used to inform the content of the bill and its accompanying regulations.
Yours faithfully,
Clarence O Perry
