This is the final instalment of a five-part series on challenges faced by administrators in the education sector. The following are comments and analyses by Zahra Orane, under the aegis of the firm, Growth Facilitators, gleaned from interviews of a handful of Corporate Area principals who were under observation for two to three days.

THE RELEASE of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) results severely affected the principals' capacity to work.

The test was introduced to place all grade six completers into grade seven of secondary and comprehensive high schools, as well as in all-age schools (Task Force on Educational Reform 2004, p. 20); the principals' schools became bombarded with requests for transfers for children who had been placed at other institutions.

Despite the schools' having put up signs informing the public of the unavailability of spaces, and callers and visitors being denied access, the principals constantly received appeals directly.

One principal reported sometimes not coming to school at this period because it is so stressful, and because paperwork gets done more efficiently at home.

Another headmaster stated: "The number of requests for transfers, sometimes received at my house, is overwhelming. Every-body feels they either have a right to places, or they have a good case. It gnaws at my emotions."

Another principal noted: "The experience is also traumatic for staff. They are hassled by the public. People curse them off. This frustration is brought to school."

40 over the limit

To aggravate one principal's challenges, the Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY) assigned 300 students to the 245-capacity school, claiming the principal had asked for that number. It eventually reduced the number to 285 - 40 over the limit - creating the size of an entire class.

The principals reported that some requests had come from members of the MOEY. Appeals have also taken the form of staff being offered monetary bribes. One man threatened to "box" the principal's secretary after she told him there were no spaces available.

Two schools received over 100 transfer applications.

To what do the principals attribute this desperation for spaces?

One replied: "It's Jamaica having a two-tiered system: traditional versus non-traditional. A child's life chances are impacted by which tier he or she gets sent to. So, you have hundreds of parents hunting down limited places in traditional schools ... It is traumatic for students and parents wanting to transfer in."

The MOEY reports in its publication, Jamaica Education Statistics 2000-2001, the GSAT examination "is used to assess how much students have learnt upon completion of six years of primary level schooling." (p.106); they are evaluated in five areas, including mathematics and language arts.

Yet, each school administers its own mathematics, English language and reading tests to incoming seventh-grade students - those placed at their schools, and transfers.

GSAT is not accurate

When asked why they assess children who have already done the GSAT, one principal responded, "Because the GSAT does not accurately measure the students' abilities in these areas."

In the principals' view, the GSAT represents a "teaching to the test" approach, so what students should be learning is lost, and, consequently, not evaluated.

When tested by the schools, many students are found to be below the literacy and numeracy standards they ought to have already achieved.

In all, preparing for the release of the results, and dealing with its after-effects, disrupted the principals' ability to do their jobs. It also put a strain on their institutions when additional testing needed to be carried out and when there was overplacement of students at the schools.

Conclusion

This difficulty exacerbates the other major problems principals face - operations of the MOEY, the limitations of education legislation, the ways in which their schools are financed, and the lack of their institutions' autonomy and authority in hiring and firing staff, and in implementing effective systems of accountability in their institutions.

Until these issues are resolved, the principals' effectiveness as managers of their institutions is unachievable, as is the transformation of education.