Time to look within
published: Wednesday | April 12, 2006

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I AM writing in response to students' views on teachers in your recently held forum. I must say that I am a product of the education system in Jamaica, and I am also a teacher who is qualified to teach in Jamaica as well as the United Kingdom. I am happy that students' views are being sought as a possible response to some of the problems plaguing the system there, but what they are advocating has been done in the U.K. to no avail. What the Government needs to do is to mobilise the education officers, make greater use of them in monitoring teacher/school performance. Yearly statistics are derived from external examinations, in particular CXC, and I don't think that these are being used to inform policy.

NO CXC PASSES

I was surprised to see that there were schools on the island which had never secured any passes in CXC yet continue to go unchallenged. It is time for the Government and those who inform educational policies to stop looking outside and look inside to see what is available locally and how it can be used to effect changes accordingly. This is a start, but there are more meaningful resources which can be tapped into to enhance the system.

If I can add this without being biased I must say that the education system in Jamaica is one which can be emulated. Sadly this is not seen by those there because they are always forced to see things from overseas as being better. But to prove that the system is worthy of emulation one need only take a look at the improvements seen in schools in the UK where teachers trained in Jamaica have been employed. As stated, greater use needs to be made of the education officers and where necessary adapt strategies from elsewhere to enhance what we have.

I am, etc.,

NADINE DOWNER

enidan73@yahoo.com

Via Go-Jamaica