Education is not all about CSEC Results

Sep 04, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
In Kaieteur News’ August 21 editorial entitled, “Education Crisis”, there were some very valid points. As I read the article, I nodded my head in agreement at each paragraph. We are definitely living in the midst of an education crisis, and I sincerely hope that our teachers are cognizant of this fact.
In Guyana, the unfortunate fact is that a child’s individual performance at the CSEC examinations is used as a rule-of-thumb measurement of their intellect. Alarming, but inarguably true. Secondary schools place such unreasonable emphasis on “getting good grades.” The reality is that education is not, and should not be viewed as, all about attaining X amount of Grade Ones at the CSEC examinations. While academics remain very important, it is imperative to realize that not every child was born to be the next Albert Einstein.
Having a fervent interest in our nation’s education system, I call upon all schools to realize every student’s potential. I cannot help but notice that during the exam period, students neglect everything – including their own health – sever all relationships, and dedicate their entire life to cramming past CSEC papers, and nothing else.
I cannot help but question:what are these students learning? They are learning nothing, really, to put it simply. Perhaps that is why English and Math historically, and continue to, share the lowest pass rates for our students. English and Math cannot be “crammed”. Both of these subjects require knowledge gained from a variety of sources which must be applied to situations.
Some institutions are so caught up in the whole “competition” that we ourselves have created. They insist on teaching students exactly what is in the subjects’ syllabus – and discourage students from watching television or having any hobbies.
I read a certain private school’s analysis of its CSEC results, and I must admit, the school performed exceptionally well in terms of grades. The analysis was very detailed, talking about the excellent performances to the poor performances. As I neared the end of the report, I came across a statement that I found to be irrelevant and offensive: “we are very sorry to report that one student, being severely mentally challenged, did not pass any subject at all.”
I was rendered speechless after reading that statement. There is literally a reason why the words “severely mentally challenged” were in a clause: it is not necessary. While I do not personally know who that particular “severely mentally challenged student” was, I found it completely philistine to call out that student on their performance. That is humiliating and degrading, to say the least.
Whether or not that student was indeed “severely mentally challenged”, I feel the school had no right to single out the student for being so.
I got the impression that the school wanted to cite the student’s alleged mental incapacities as the reason for the poor performance, and to void themselves of any sign of “failure” on their part. Real champions do not put down their team members for their failure to be up to par.
The obsession with being the “top school” or “top student” creates further problems.
Teachers help students with their School Based Assessments (SBAs) more than they ought to, and students plagiarize ideas and even entire essays from the internet, which is increasing in accessibility.
Some students may unintentionally commit plagiarism by improperly citing their sources. SBA citations, from what I have seen, tend to be abysmal, with students failing to use an MLA/APA/Chicago format. Teachers need to teach students how to make proper footnotes and bibliographies. Just because it is not included on the syllabus does not mean you will not teach it. It is a life skill that will greatly help students in their post-secondary pursuits when they have to write research papers.
Why does an aspiring doctor write Clothing and Textiles, or even Office Administration?
As the Kaieteur News editorial pointed out, what does it mean for a student to successfully complete 20 subjects at CSEC? Does it mean that the student has a creative, intellectual mind, and is able to function and contribute competently to society?
Or does it mean that that child was a mindless robot, pressured to cram notes and past papers for subjects that they just wrote for the sake of writing, soon to forget that knowledge?
It varies from student to student. It is all about how that student was taught. I know of some students who gained 8-9 grade ones at the CSEC level, but their spelling and grammar leave much to be desired.
It has been said so many times, but it still remains as true as ever. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said it, and even Whitney Houston said it, albeit using different words: the children are our future.
The combined brain power, morals and values of our present youth dictate what the future of our country holds. As a society, this bit of food for thought holds great importance.
It is the duty of adults, as parents, teachers, and role models, to provide children with the tools that they need today so that they become independent and competent leaders tomorrow.
Let’s encourage our children to play, study and explore their horizons. Let their lives not be controlled by a single set of examinations. Adolescence is a time to be enjoyed, not overly stressed by avoidable circumstances.
Study hard – but within your limits and what you can handle. Students should not be spoon-fed by teachers. They need to take some responsibility and be in control of their own lives.
I would like to take this opportunity once again to commend Kaieteur News for its very insightful and brilliant editorial. I feel it’s about time something was said on the matter.
Tanuja G. Persaud

 

 

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