Will any teacher contradict my point here?

Feb 03, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Congratulations are in order for our Ministry of Education for organizing ‘Mock’ Examinations in Mathematics for the Grade Six pupils writing the 2017 National Grade Six Assessment at the end of the current school term. I hope that more pupils themselves and their teachers will better understand the precise level of work to be mastered by the end of Grade Six. I trust that teachers of Grades One to Five will make themselves familiar with the standard of work to be reached by the end of Grade Six.
This exercise reminds me of a parallel situation in the secondary sector. By the end of the life of the SSRP (Secondary School Reform Project) in 2004, examinations were organized by each Department of Education for the students of Forms One and Two (Grades 7 and 8) in their respective regions. Then, the Grade 9 (Form Three) Assessment was organized by the Central Ministry. One objective was that students should be exposed to the levels to be attained by externally prepared test papers.
I clearly recall that the Department of Education (Region 2) always succeeded in having the materials distributed to their schools exactly as recommended in the Schedule: (a) Project Questions for each student in their schools at the beginning of February; (b) Papers I and II written in their schools in June; and (c) the Analysis of the Results submitted to SSRP by September. It must be emphasized that it is the adoption of correct practices and their faithful discharge which bring results in later years.
There are some fundamental truths that more pupils and their parents must admit. For example, pupils have to learn to read and they have to learn their Multiplication Tables (at least 2 times to 6 times) by the end of Grade 5. If the pupils do know these Tables, they will be unable to cope with Fractions and Percentages and Ratio in Grade 6. Are there any teachers who will contradict this?
Walter B. Alexander
(Former Administrator of SSRP)

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