The Failing Remediation Programme in Primary Schools

Feb 27, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am a Grade Six Teacher who is attached to Providence Primary School located on the East Bank of Demerara. I have always been deeply concerned about the manner in which the Remediation Programme is executed in schools, so I ventured my concern via a letter under the heading, “Urgent Policy Reviews” which was distributed on 10th November, 2016 to the Minister of Education, his Advisor, his Personal Assistance, the President, the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU), the Regional Education Officer (Reg. 4) and the Acting Head Teacher of Providence Primary School.
To date, I have received no response from the first five aforementioned names. However, the latter two responded in complete defense of the programme’s execution and insisted that the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) discipline me for ‘dereliction of lawful duty’ since I refused to carry out this instruction.
The problem is that teachers were instructed (forced) to conduct remedial classes after school for one hour daily. I speak directly from the context of Grades Five and Six where more than twenty-five (25) pupils do not know letter sounds nor can they form letters properly, much less write a legible sentence. Please note that this programme was introduced over six years now. The question is: if all of these “slow-learners” were exposed to this programme from Grade One, how come so many are still in this state?
Something is seriously wrong with the execution of the programme. In my humble opinion, while the remediation policy was set up in good faith, the way it is currently done is inappropriate, because the plight in which these pupils find themselves is due to its unstructured and haphazard form, and the lack of diligence on the part of the teachers who are carrying it out.
Here is what we were instructed to do. From the Literacy Diagnostic Test which was administered during the first week of this new school year, each teacher had to determine how they would solve the problems identified. The entire plan made no sense because such a vague instrument cannot help me to teach these children how to read at this level.
My argument is – why, when and how can the Grades Five and Six teachers correct the mistakes of our predecessors? Moreover, if this programme was indeed effective, by now, these pupils should at least be able to identify sight words. What is most alarming is the fact that the same teachers who are not delivering the content of the curriculum efficiently are forced to remain another hour with these already stressed children to teach Literacy and Numeracy.
Please explain to me as if I’m four years old, how these children who are not learning anything between 08:30hrs-14:30hrs will learn something within one hour daily under the same conditions which caused their failure in the first place. Generally, the lackadaisical attitude of many teachers has not changed during this hour; in fact, this imposition has only worsened the situation. What benefit would be derived from forcing such a de-motivated group to do additional work? Was the policy crafted just to show parents that something is being done or was it initiated to venture concern and truly render assistance to these children?
To compound this nonsense, there are mechanisms in place to measure the pupils’ performance and still a thousand and one would reach the end of this primary chain as illiterates. A school’s administrative staff (HM, DHM, SM and Divisional Heads) would sign students’ reports at the end of each term, analyse diagnostic test results along with Grades Two and Four Assessment results, which actually show these children’s performance, and yet all these children managed to reach Grades Five and Six without knowing how to read and write, and nobody noticed.
While it is typical for members of the ministry to say that it is my responsibility and that it can be done by grouping the children according to ability and employ the “differentiated instruction” strategy, I am saying that this strategy is for children with previous knowledge or some foundation. Those of whom I speak have nothing for me to work with and it is extremely difficult for teachers at this level to deliver the concepts of the Grades Five and Six curricula while teaching lower elementary work using a national time-table that runs on and on. In a follow-up letter, I will offer solutions.
Rodwell Simon, BSc. MBA

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