Dear Editor,
The recent grim news of unacceptably high failure rate at the CSEC examinations come as no surprise. This kind of unwelcome news haunts parents and students, particularly from the poorer classes, each year. Sadly, for many students, their dreams to a path for a better life are shattered by this news. Lawmakers seemed unfazed; they immediately dived into a celebratory mood, spinning the propaganda machine. They selfishly, heaped praise on government, taking credit and posing for pictures with those that have passed these examinations.
Embedded in this disturbing news are two enormously important messages. Firstly, it alerts us to the fact that our educational system is a failure and needs fixing, although we refuse to remedy the situation – or perhaps we are incapable of doing so, only piling the stakes higher for a country experiencing a brain drain. Secondly, it raises the question why students at Queen’s College and other elite schools outperform students from poorer schools like Charlestown Secondary.
The educational system like other entities in the country is destined to fail because of a lack of expertise or failure to engage such. We bluntly refuse to engage the right skills. We knowingly mill students through this failed system, year after year, lifting their hopes and then ultimately shattering them. Failure assaults the mind of these youngsters; it inflicts emotional pain; it plays with their self esteem, self worth and self-confidence.
Editor, the evidence is clear that the majority of the students from Queen’s College outperform students from poorer schools like Charlestown Secondary.
This is happening because academic performance is a product of the relative contributions of genes (nature) and environment (nurture). The environment constitutes a broad spectrum of factors ranging from quality of teachers or lack of teachers, parental educational levels and income bracket, nutrition, neighbourhoods, crime, dysfunction and family support, to list a few.
Many students of Queen’s College enjoy the privilege of a better environment than their Charlestown Secondary counterparts. They mostly hail from better neighbourhoods with better educated parents in higher income brackets. In addition, better quality teachers are selected for Queen’s College students. Charlestown Secondary students do not even have teachers for many subjects, for long periods of time. Editor, naturally talented students from Queen’s College will shine academically because they enjoy an environment conducive to the unfolding of their academic abilities, whereas their Charlestown Secondary counterparts are in an environment suppressing rather than enhancing, the unfolding of their academic abilities.
Similar arguments have been made in similar situations for the role of nurture on the unfolding of abilities. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s musical ability would never have shone were he raised in an environment without a piano. Similarly, Michael Jordan’s sporting abilities would never have shone had he not been in a nurturing environment.
The wide disparity between academic performance in the country can be bridged by providing nurturing environments for all, and not just a privileged few.
This means at the very least giving the same quality teachers to all. All students can learn if coached properly. Some are slower learners than others, but they will learn, so they should not be denied or given up on.
Yours faithfully,
Annie Baliram
