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GOOD NEWS ON THE NGSA RESULTS, BUT….

Jul 09, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The euphoria of this year’s National Grade Student Assessment (NGSA) examination has not yet worn off as teachers, students and parents celebrate the results. Indeed, congratulations should be extended to every student, teacher and parent who was involved in the intense preparations for the exams.
It is a delight to watch the students rejoice as they prepare for the next stage of their education journey. Everyone should know that hard work and success should always be celebrated especially after last year’s disastrous results in mathematics and science.
This year’s results have shown some major improvements over that of last year in the sciences. Aside from a 46 per cent pass rate in Mathematics this year, up from 14 percent last year, the Ministry recorded 54 percent in English Language passes up from 42 percent last year. In the area of Science, the 2017 results reflect an improved pass rate of 46 percent, up from 28 percent in 2016. And in Social Studies, this year the pass rate, though slightly improved, is 48 percent, up from 46 percent in 2016.
No one should be criticized for those who fail, because neither the successful students nor those who fell short is at fault. What is at fault is the archaic, unfair and ineffective educational system we inherited from Britain to transition and educate our youths. It is based on standardized tests which rank and compare students. It perpetuates the culture whereby students who are categorized as bright are often given special treatment and those who are seen as “dunce” are ignored.
It is baffling that after 50 years of political independence, little has changed in the education system which is failing our students. There is good news on the NGSA results, but it is time for the Ministry of Education to make changes to the education system. The current education system, while it has improved, is based on short-term remedies which have not catered to our students when they leave high school. Neither does it cater to the fact that fewer than 50 percent of them will achieve the minimum standards to matriculate into university.
Without the ability of students to master the higher orders of cognitive functioning we will never be able to achieve some of the lofty national development goals we have set for ourselves. From the time children enter our school system today, their creativity and sense of innovation are discouraged. In this highly competitive climate to do well at the National Grade Six Examinations they are made to simply absorb and regurgitate information.
This is how they are tested and the test scores are used to rank or segregate them to perpetuate the social status quo.
The prominence of tests as an integral part of our school system should have told us a long time ago that there is something fundamentally wrong with it. The pursuit of a sustainable development agenda demands fundamental changes to the curriculum with a focus on human capital development.
Our school curriculum must be aligned to the creation of citizens who understand the need for equity in the distribution of wealth. Our schools must produce graduates who can add value to the society in which they function. It must give them the skills, knowledge and competencies to navigate an uncertain future.
School curricula must foster in all students the strong sense of social justice, the supremacy of human rights and a sense of social responsibility to create a better Guyana.

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