EDUCATION CRISIS: WHAT CRISIS?

Aug 31, 2013 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
Several opposition elements are seeking to downplay the enormous strides made in the education sector. Some go to the ridiculous extent of saying that the education system is in “crisis”.
Nothing could be further from the truth. These persons either have short memories of what the state of education was during the previous PNC administration or they are in a denial mode not wanting to concede any credit for the gains made by the education sector over the past two decades.
As a former teacher and education administrator, I am not unaware of the enormous challenges faced by the sector during the pre-1992 period when the sector was virtually starved of resources to a point where something as basic as chalk was in short supply. Our Guyanese students were underperforming due mainly to a poor and deficient education delivery system. The education system, like other sectors, became a victim of a stifling economic crisis which emanated from a political crisis.
The fact of the matter is that our Guyanese students are doing much better today than before thanks to the emphasis that is being placed on the sector by the current PPP/C administration. The records will show that an increasing number of students are securing passes at the CXC and CAPE examinations every year in every subject area including English Language and Mathematics even though the latter still continues to pose a challenge to education administrators not only in Guyana but the region as a whole.
A salient point to note is that the cohort of students who sit the CXC examinations have increased substantially over the years. This is also true of the number of subjects that students are allowed to sit with students writing as many as twenty subjects, something unthinkable a decade ago. I remember during my high school days in the early 70’s a pass in seven or eight subjects at one sitting inclusive of English and Mathematics was considered a highly creditable performance at the GCE Examinations.
Under the PNC administration the vast majority of students who finished primary schools were relegated to Community High Schools or to the tops of primary schools. These schools do not prepare students to write the CXC examinations which effectively meant the end of their academic life. Students were simply marking time until the statutory age to leave school catches up with them. There were no room for late developers and the whole concept of a “second chance” in terms of academic pursuit was nothing but an unfulfilled dream. Drop out rates were unacceptably high.
The conversion of the Community High Schools and Primary Schools into discrete secondary schools represented a major overhaul of the education system in terms of providing primary school leavers, especially those who for whatever reason did not perform well at the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) with fresh opportunities to pursue their academic career to the limit of their potential. Under the Secondary School Reform Project (SSRP) the secondary school curriculum was modified to take into account students who are not considered “highfliers” and therefore require reinforcements to address cognitive gaps. One consequence of this reform process was a significant jump in the number of students who are afforded the opportunity to write the CXC examinations which
was further facilitated by the generous subsidies provided to parents and guardians to facilitate entrance to the examination.
This is why attempts to project the success rate of students on the basis of “percentages” can be misleading since it fails to take into account the contextual nature of the Guyana situation and the democratization factor in which practically the full cohort of secondary students are now allowed to sit the examinations, quite unlike what obtained under the previous administration.
This is not to suggest that more cannot be done to further improve on the performance levels of our students especially in the two critical subject areas of Mathematics and English. I am aware of the several innovations made by the Ministry to improve student performance in these two subjects both at the primary and secondary levels but the truth is that there is no “silver bullet” that could produce dramatic results overnight. Success rates in education is a process that usually take some time. It is not like applying fertilizer to plants or as I mentioned earlier in one of my previous columns like de-worming an animal where results are almost immediate.
The overall trend is positive with an increasing number of students from all across Guyana showing improved performances. More students are being matriculated than ever before drawn from schools all over Guyana including hinterland schools.
Our children are doing well. The future looks good. I take this opportunity to salute all of our students who have done well. For those who speak of crisis in education my response to them is, what crisis they are talking about? The facts certainly do not support any situation remotely resembling a crisis.
Hydar Ally

---

---