THE EDITOR, Sir:
THIS IS a response to Marguerite Orane's article 'The business of education', Sunday June 25, 2006.
I agree that education should be treated as a business and that principals should take more responsibility for the general performance of a school. To me this will take a full overhaul of the education system and some reshaping of the attitude of society in general. Some of the considerations which come to mind are :
(1) There needs to be a clear policy framework for principals and school boards which would give them a particular focus. For the lay person, it is not clear what the all-age and new secondary schools are preparing students for. It is generally felt that the traditional high schools are preparing students for entry to college and university. Those who do not get in, the majority, join the never-ending line - struggling for survival.
(2) Too many school boards seem to contain persons who have very little interest in education or the performance of their school.
(3) Of great need is a national industrial/development policy which outlines a clear national strategy for the economy and informs the various sectors, such as education and teacher training, for the long term and is understood by all concerned. This would be supported by relevant, reliable and timely statistics easily available.
(4) Some of the issues which may be of concern are: Teachers command much less respect from society today than many years ago; men are becoming an endangered species in the classrooms; By my interaction with a number of primary school teachers, a high percentage of them see mathematics and science as difficult, and somehow pass on this idea to their students.
(5) Greater emphasis could be placed on allowing secondary school students the opportunity of acquiring a skill through the HEART Trust flexible competency based programmes.
(6) Access to education is very limited at the tertiary level, except for teaching and nursing. It is not easy for many to get into other professional areas because of the limited spaces and location, which are based almost exclusively in Kingston.
(7) It is time for lesson plans and other support materials to be made available via the Internet, etc, to primary and early childhood teachers. With this, the teachers could refocus their energies on fine tuning/adjusting them as needed and also dealing with other pressing needs in the classroom.
(8) The design of classrooms should be upgraded to accommodate AV equipment which will assist teachers in presenting concepts and methods more effectively. Technology needs to play a more prominent role in the education system, and should be a mandatory course for students in teacher training institutions.
This business of education is a serious one. "Moulding" products for the market may generate great profit for some today. The "profit" gained from "moulding" minds to be industrious can be infinite to the benefit of generations. It is not possible for the "proper" growth and development of a state, without good quality diversified education for most of its population. The responsibilities of education on business managers (principals), can be quite far reaching.
I am, etc.,
LEE STERLING
star1cep@yahoo.com
Kingston
Via Go-Jamaica
