The Grade 6 Assessment process creates inferiority complex

Jul 25, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I eagerly leap to endorse the opinion and recommendations of Anand Persaud the “The Grade 6 assessment should be abolished” SN, Wednesday July 9th.

This is indeed one negative in our educational system from our colonial past that is working to the detriment of our people.

I have in discussions argued against this unfavourable mode time and time again: why should a child be condemned and future threatened at age 10-12 years?

This, Mr. Editor, is exactly what this examination does. Mr. Persaud is totally accurate; the Grade 6 Assessment process creates inferiority complex and low self esteem which is a great tragedy and should urgently be discarded.

I have heard and seen countless times, parents “running down/bad mouthing”, and abusing their children who didn’t make a school of their choice; comparing them to a neighbour’s child who had done better, shaming them even in public, causing them to lose face; the feeling of guilt that they are a ‘no good, a dunce, done for good.

The psychological and emotional hurt at times is so devastating that they shy away from graduation and closing party, avoiding friends.

But many teachers are the chief culpable ones aiding and abetting this unbalance and noxious process, they have favourites on which special interest and preference are shown; ‘quick’’ ones are focused on while the slow ones are brazenly neglected.

Children of the privilege and wealthy are invariable took care of. We need to understand that there are slow starters and various levels of intelligence.

Parents and teachers especially need to get out of their minds that obsolete stereotype thinking that President’s College and Queen’s College is the end of the world for an 11-year-old, and our educational system must move quickly to correct this utter nonsense.
Frank Fyffe

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