- Rudolph Brown/Staff Photographer
Students were hungry for information at the Education Expo held last week at the Hilton Kingston Hotel.
Lauriston Lindsay, Contributor
RESEARCH IS said to be 'a systematic and unbiased investigation of a problem in order to discover facts or principles'. In this case, the researcher or the messenger sought to determine how schools compared with each other as it related to the quality of instruction provided in preparing candidates for Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.
The research basically examined the performance of secondary schools in 16 core subject areas, a position which, though instructive, placed schools with a technical orientation at a distinct disadvantage having excluded almost all of the technical/vocational courses. In addition, there are other factors which must be taken into account when comparing schools and the performance of their students. Despite the fact that the results may have been skewed to the detriment of some schools, no comfort can be taken from that fact.
Neither should we kill the messenger because we do not like the message, the message has its merits. Several of us must face the stark reality that we have flunked miserably in the preparation of our candidates for the 2003 CXC Examinations, and having accepted our responsibility, we must now begin to implement strategies that will ameliorate the prevailing conditions which have led to such appalling results.
The technical schools are set to be measured differently next time around. However, there are some high schools which are not formally classified as technical high schools, but which qualify for such classification by virtue of the spread of subject offered in their curriculum.
The vision of such schools is prosperity for all their students, and they have, as their central mission, creating an environment in which all students may achieve and become useful citizens in society, with due cognisance to their centres of interest and the demands of service industries worldwide. This mandate has driven schools to expand their curriculum to include as many of the technical/vocational subjects as can be realistically accommodated.
An example of such a school is the one where I serve. Ten such subjects are offered, including agriculture and, if resources allow, three more will be added; namely, Agriculture Science-Animal Science (single award), Agriculture Science (double award) and Mechanical Engineering Technology.
ACTION NOW
There are other legitimate reactions to the study which question the fairness of the results. One significant objection revolves around the difference in the quality of students that are filtered to the various high schools as it relates to GSAT results. This is, no doubt, a major contributing factor to the inequality of the results of the study. In other cases, schools lack the necessary physical and technical infrastructure with which to effectively implement their curriculum and are therefore at a disadvantage to the better endowed schools. Additionally, students are sometimes their own worst enemies daring anyone to teach them.
Whatever the circumstance, we must take action now to rid ourselves, once and for all, of unmanageable schools. Our schools must be properly outfitted to do the job they are mandated to do, and the students who continue to self-destruct must be removed to rehabilitation 'centres of hope'.
At this stage, there is no need for dogma on either side. The path we must take is plain for all to see. To echo the call of the Honourable Marcus Garvey, "Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will." We need to act now not spend time in useless squabbling because we can ill afford, in this age of globalisation, to expand the ranks of illiteracy in our own country.
Education can make one free by giving one control over one's life. Freedom of mind is exhilarating, it builds self-confidence, allowing for lifelong learning. The value of education was also highlighted by the ancient Roman Orator Seneca who said, "More is experienced in one day of the life of a learned man than the whole lifetime of an ignorant man." Clearly the educated person gets more out of life, and the society in which he lives has a better chance of economic prosperity, and peace.
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture has been responding to calls for the improvement of conditions which militate against high achievement in terminal examinations. Many schools, including Happy Grove, have benefited from the 'Secondary Enhancement Project (2003)'. The Jamaica Teachers' Association must now seize the opportunity to assist positively in working out the conditions for pay by performance, contracting principals and the licensing for the entire teaching force.
Both principals' associations must come together right now and face the reality that it cannot be business as usual. Our position must not be for us to be seen as dinosaurs that are without vision and lacking in leadership skills, thus bringing education to its present sorry state. We must take the higher ground so that even those whose positions are cemented in concrete shall eventually à la Claude McKay, "Be constrained to honour us" for our resolve to be a part of the solution to our many problems in education.
In addition, it would be good for principals to consider coming together to form one association. There are no foreseeable disadvantages to amalgamation at this time. Instead of going off in different directions, we need this summer to convene at least one meeting of all high school principals and vice-principals to share our fortunes and commiserate on our misfortunes and to begin to chart the way forward, unity is strength. Jamaica needs to see and feel that we are united and keen on turning our schools around.
Let us see this as an opportunity to improve the quality of life for all our people through education, thus gaining the respect and confidence of all Jamaica as a sector that will deliver what it is mandated to emancipating the minds of our people from mental slavery.
The damage has already been done. We must move with due haste to mend. No bandaid treatment will do for a cut that needs stitches.
Lauriston Lindsay is the principal of Happy Grove High School.
