Dear Editor,
If I recall correctly we were told by a former Senior Minister of Education that about 10,000 functional illiterates leave our school system annually. Put another way, about 60% of each age cohort, or 6 out of every 10 school leavers are unable to function in a modern society. If over the last 15 years the annual budget allocated to the lower divisions (nursery/primary/secondary), of the education sector averaged $15 billion, then we may conclude that at the end of those 15 years a staggering $225 billion has been wasted, and that the school system is dysfunctional! We have to realise, however, that the quality of our education system can be no better than the quality of the teachers in our classrooms. It should be obvious to all who care that the time has long since arrived for the Cyril Potter College of Education to pass the teacher education baton to the University of Guyana. A university educated, trained and better paid teaching profession is Guyana’s most urgent educational need.
It ought to be sufficient just to say that teaching in today’s classrooms has become increasingly challenging and complex, but in view of their immense significance I would cite the following reasons: 1) The abolition of all school fees from nursery through to the secondary levels, has made schooling available to every Guyanese child of school age, regardless of their economic and social circumstances. 2) With the advent of mass schooling, the student clientele changed from a relatively homogeneous body with middle class values, to a vastly heterogeneous group with a corresponding array of value systems ranging from middle class to no value system whatsoever. 3) Schools are essentially middle class institutions, and many students, for various reasons, come unprepared for succeeding at school, and as a result suffer from culture shock. 4) Many of today’s students come from struggling single parent homes with several deficits. In addition to malnutrition during their mother’s pregnancy which can lead to under-developed brains, many students may not have access to adequate learning environments at home, are undernourished, not in the best of health, have poor eyesight or hearing, or other health problems. 5) As the Guyanese society developed, a lot of the social traditions and institutions that assisted in, and influenced the upbringing of Guyanese youth, have declined, lost their influence, or have disappeared. Society now expects schools and teachers to make good this loss. The experiences of each and every student must now be validated, and all students must receive quality education. 6) In spite of their benefits, the TV and other technological gadgetry compete with teachers for the minds and attention of students, and have become sources of student influence and distraction. 7) The age of puberty is decreasing. As a result students have become more precocious and assertive. Because of the absence of good adult role models in their lives, many students may be in need of counselling. 8) There is intensity of peer group pressure, and the erosion of parental support for the work of schools and teachers. 9) There is too the presence of illicit drugs, concealed weaponry on students, and the lack of adequate security in school compounds. 10) There are insufficient numbers of male teachers in schools. It has been suggested that the absence of sufficient numbers of male role models can be linked to the continuing increase in discipline problems, alienation and the concomitant increase in the drop-out rate among male students. 11) Over and above all else is the disrespect for the laws of Guyana that permeates all levels of Guyanese society. This has resulted in a paucity of positive adult role
models.
It should be overwhelmingly evident from the above that teachers are now challenged by many new non-traditional professional and social responsibilities. If teachers are adequately prepared for their tasks, there will no need to retain such a primitive device as corporal punishment. This is tantamount to further victimisation of the victims. It must be emphasised that the retention of corporal punishment (yesterday’s tool) in schools, is most definitely not the answer to (today’s) problem of indiscipline in schools.
All Guyanese ought to be committed to the task of building a peaceful and non-violent society, particularly teachers who are the midwives and moulders of this nation. We must invest far more than we are presently doing in the preparation of our teachers. We have fallen far short of what is really required. Teachers must now be able to contextualise the curriculum, bring it alive, give it meaning, make it relevant and interesting so that students enjoy learning and become inspired.
The urgently needed improvement of our national culture and decorum demands that Guyanese teachers must now benefit from an education that emphasises the interconnectedness of things – how people relate to one another and to natural systems(ecological), reproduces itself through social interaction – especially adult/youth contacts and relationships(generative), and engenders a sustainable view of the world (transformational).
Since it has been accepted in most developed countries that teachers need to be better educated, colleges of education have either been transformed into universities, or have been absorbed by them. Here in Guyana, it is doubtful whether the Cyril Potter College of Education has the capacity to deliver curricula in the academic disciplines to a standard much beyond the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, much more to the standard of a creditable Associate Degree; or, to develop educational programmes that are ecological, generative and transformational.
If the University of Guyana were made responsible for all teacher education, it would be of tremendous benefit to all stakeholders. Students who seek admission to programmes in the School of Education and Humanities could be required to have certain special qualifying requirements (for example, creditable performance on Teacher Aptitude & Personality Tests), for entrance into the teaching profession. This would have the effect of improving the quality of the most critical input into the education system. Further, student teachers and teacher educators, instead of being isolated as they are at present, would be able to interact with a large number of goal-oriented tertiary level students (future doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc), and faculty members who are actively engaged in scholarly activities in various fields. They will now have access to a wider variety of resources, and actively participate in numerous extracurricular programmes that would serve to broaden their backgrounds and enrich their experiences.
Exposure to the humanities will, ultimately, contribute positively to the improvement of political decorum and the development of an integrated national culture. Critical thinking, ie, thinking about the logical structure of an argument; a greater understanding of the world and its different groups of people, their histories and the ways in which they interact; the training of the imagination; the willingness to put themselves in the shoes of another person, and to reflect on the consequences of their behaviour on others, are all encompassing and enduring outcomes of a well-taught humanities programme, on which real democracy is built. It is within such an environment that student teachers and teacher educators are more likely to experience a process of education that is ecological, generative, and transformational.
It is imperative that Guyanese teachers become better-qualified professionals. They must be leaders, researchers, managers of learning, counsellors, and role models. If Guyanese teachers can perform their tasks efficiently and effectively, then change and obsolescence, which have become a way of life, can be planned and catered for. We shall have achieved quality in education and educational excellence only when we continually produce graduates who have a love for learning.
Yours faithfully
Clarence O Perry
