Latest update September 24th, 2026 10:31 AM
Education Ministry to hold head teachers more accountable
…as improvement measures unfold
By Sharmain Cornette
The Education Ministry is prepared to take action against principals and head teachers whose performances have not shown any indication of improvement. Minister of Education Shaik Baksh revealed yesterday that channelling action through the Teaching Service Commission could be an option to address this situation.
It is the view of the minister that some of the heads are “sleeping on the job. They are not effectively supervising the teachers; they are not mentoring the teachers…Not only the head teachers but the other senior managers in the school system too. They have to put in place a core group to help improve classroom management,” warned the minister.
Improvement in the school system, he said, is dependent on the performance of principals and head teachers. The Minister highlighted his convictions yesterday when he addressed a gathering of senior teachers at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).
According to the minister, teachers in senior capacities have to become more proactive, accountable and result-oriented in the system. And should this not be realised, measures will be taken against teachers in certain responsible positions.
“We intend to hold principals and head teachers accountable,” the Minister insisted.
He said supervision will be paramount, even as the impact of new programmes are realised in the school system.
Many schools across the country are now offering a six-year programme, which comes as part of the Education Ministry’s key development efforts in the secondary sector. This move, which was introduced this year, has also included the strengthening of the office of the Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary) to ensure that the programme is well implemented. The implementation of this programme, the Minister said, is very essential in recognition of the fact that there are evident weaknesses at the primary level of education. “You all know what has been happening and we have taken a lot of action, and interventions are in place to strengthen the primary school system in the areas of literacy and numeracy in particular.”
According to the Minister, initiatives are in place to the extent that a national literacy unit has been setup and is fully staffed with specialists. Each region, he said has already been furnished with specialists as the aim of the Ministry is to have nothing less than success in the literacy programme in primary schools.
“We have a lot of work to do to get all the teachers onboard. Many teachers are not onboard, due perhaps to the fact that they do not understand the methodology, or some of them may not be committed to the programme.”
However, the Minister noted that there will be more effective supervision through the Ministry’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit which is staffed with persons who are expected to be very active this year by visiting the regions and ensuring that the regional education departments supervise the school system.
And there will be clear benchmarks during the visits, Baksh underscored, even as he stressed the point that “they will not look at any and everything, but the clear indicators.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry plans to introduce a grade-four literacy certificate which should be issued for those who meet the standard. According to the minister, a lot of work has already commenced to complete the curriculum and the standard that must be achieved in the various levels of the secondary school system.
“Those who do not satisfy the standards set through the assessment will have an opportunity during the fifth grade to do so at six-month intervals. We are giving them a chance, so this means we have to set up remediation systems in the schools.”
Different types of remediation, the Minister said, are a must in the school system and will include some that are undertaken after school hours and during the school vacation. Additional forms of remediation, he said, will be introduced during the course of this year.
These measures that have been embraced by the Ministry are seen as vital since the secondary cycle could be doomed for failure if students do not leave the primary cycle literate and numerate, the Minister asserted.
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