Prejudice against private primary schools
THE EDITOR: Allow me to highlight a grave case of prejudice against the private primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. The Ministry of Education (Textbook Rental Programme Unit) is hosting a couple of workshops in the months of March 2006 and May 2006, for teachers of the primary school and believe me, not one private primary school was invited to these workshops. Some parents sacrifice to send their kids to private primary school, not because they can afford it, but just because some of the primary schools are filled up and there is no other choice left but to pay for them, and also the delinquency that is taking place in some of the government primary schools, they do not want their kids exposed to these elements. I call on the Minister of Education and also the Coordinator of these workshops to explain why the private primary schools are not invited to these workshops. It is a straight case of prejudice. Are these private primary schools not monitored and run by the guidelines of the Ministry of Education? These private school students have to sit the same Secondary Entrance Examination (SEA), and also the Continuous Assessment Examination, as other, government primary schools. So come on Minister, set the example, since you said that you are concerned about the education of the nation’s children and this year’s focus on curriculum development. Is this vision 2020? Please stop the discrimination against the private schools, and do the honourable thing and invite these schools to your upcoming workshops and also other workshops in the future. NATASHA JAMES Woodbrook
Comments
"Prejudice against private primary schools"