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The school curriculum of bygone days

Jan 31, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor
It is ironic how the UK Government is so alarmed at the poor standards of literacy and numeracy in the youngsters now entering the workforce that the state school curriculum of bygone days is being looked at seriously, with a view to tailoring the current one, while in Guyana it seems to be the opposite.
At present there are not enough teachers of maths in the UK to go round and not enough students applying for maths courses at university level and this is hampering progress in the field.
In our primary school days, the subjects of arithmetic and English were taken very seriously and these subjects were taught every day, for the greater part of the day, until about age 9 or so, when other subjects, such as hygiene, nature study and geography, were added.
The rules of syntax were drummed into us, dictation and mental arithmetic were daily rituals, multiplication tables were taught from Standard 1, i.e. at around age 6-7. A successful secondary education depended on, and was built on, the foundation of a solid, reliable primary education.
Perhaps the education field has changed vastly over the years, but it would still be interesting to know what the “other subject areas” are which would fill “the needs of our (Guyana’s) society” and whether readers among the generation of schoolchildren up to at least the 1960s would agree to depart from the core subjects of English Language and Mathematics, especially basic arithmetic. A good knowledge of the English language and arithmetic and a smattering of a language other than English, preferably French, should be expected from every child on leaving school.
My knowledge of times tables helped me on several occasions, before electronics took over.  I saved myself from being overcharged in shops when buying the same item in multiplies and, when abroad, I got asked often “Parlez-vous Français” if the person spoken to did not speak English.  Most recently, in Guadeloupe, when the tour guide was stumped, I was able to translate everyday objects into English for fellow UK tourists – a drawback at times, because they assumed I knew more French than I actually did and seemed to expect me to help them as we went along!
Yes, by all means, let us “consider the needs of our society and the career opportunities”.  Let us consider an education that can serve us well wherever we happen to be. Our circles of contacts are eternally thankful for the primary education they all had in Guyana.
Geralda Dennison

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