Former Principal: Students on verge of rebellion

The education system is indeed in crisis and the students are “on the verge of rebellion.” This affirmation came from Valerie Taylor, former principal of Bishop Anstey High School and current director of Bishop Anstey High School East.

Taylor was one of the speakers at the recently held Third Sitting of the Permanent Allan Harris Conference on Education, entitled “Education and Schools in Crisis.” Other speakers were Samuel Lochan, lecturer at the UWI School of Education who spoke about primary education; David Subran, former lecturer at the John Donaldson Technical Institute who gave a commentary on secondary education; and Lynette Simmons, former lecturer at the Corinth Teachers College. Also addressing the conference were Lloyd Best, Managing Editor of the TT Review and Professor Emeritus of UWI, John Spence who enunciated their views on the condition of tertiary education in this country. Taylor who offered perhaps  the strongest presentation at the conference pointed out that what is happening in education reflects what she termed the “disfunctional aspects of society,” adding that it was indeed a “faithful reflection of issues not resolved (in society).”

Her contribution on secondary education centred around the issues of “access, equity and quality.” She was at pains to point out that there existed within the school system many “anomalies, inequities and absurdities.” The school director hit out at the weak management structure at the level of the Ministry of Education, although she was quick to note that it was the system of management that was faulty, rather than any particular individuals. Taylor did not mince matters in her citicism of  the curriculum at the secondary level which she described as “outdated, unscientific, antiquated,” adding that there was much duplication. She referred to the curriculum as being often irrelevant and overloaded. The former principal was critical of the “non-existence” of pastoral care in the schools. Her contribution was informative — she revealed that there were students as old as 16 in the special form ones scattered throughout the country in institutions that are all called “high schools.” These special classes are the destination of students who scored less than 30 percent in the Secondary Entrance Assess-ment (SEA). Interestingly she touched on the negative impact of authoritarianism in the system, a point that was hammered home by other speakers.  The session was opened by Lochan who made the important distinction between “education” and “schooling,” a distinction that is not usually made by individuals when issues in education are deing discussed.

Lochan explained that schooling is an artificial invention, where all the desirable concepts gathered throughout life (education) can be passed on. Schooling is actually only one aspect of education. Lochan pointed out that there are factors that make the crisis in our education system unique, one being the authoritarian nature of the primary school which he described as a “harsh environment.” He decried the preoccupation with certification at this level, noting that education needs to be “unhinged from examinations.” The UWI lecturer was critical of  the lack of emphasis on “doing” in the primary schools, as well as, the void in innovation and he questioned the capacity for creating what he termed “self-propelled learners” in such an environment. Professor John Spence in his presentation identified a number of problems that plague tertiary education in this country. His list echoed some of the issues of the primary system, such as the prevailing system in which university students are trained to regurgitate facts. The professor also noted problems with the authoritarian approach to lectures, as well as the issue of leadership at the university.

While he deplored the lack of funding for research as well as the language problems experienced by students at this level, he applauded the idea of a second university, noting that one would encompass national regional and international academic systems and the other — technical, national and regional systems. Lloyd Best in his presentation on tertiary education adopted a philosophical stance, describing the curent situation as “...an epistemic crisis of being and knowing.” He declared that the education system is “hostile to ‘finding out’,” but what is needed is just that —  to find out “...what we know, how we know it and why.” Best reiterated concerns about equity in the system and the reliance on examinations as a means of assessment. He called for a halt to “the tyranny of largely mindless exams that probably select for eminence the most authoritarian, the most unimaginative and the least creative,” adding that we must seek to relieve the “...boredom that is probably the true source of the violence among our most independent minded.” He noted that the goal must be to “stem the tide of interminable dropouts” and suggested that the challenge is now “to design and operate new types of schools, to entertain much more diversity within an integrated system.”

It is necessary, Best pointed out, to discard assumptions about so-called academic education which he added, “is in fact far from academic...and which refuses to acknowledge the immense variety of learning needs, styles and potentials.” He called for “cross-fertilisation” between communities and schools, within  teaching communities. He also made a plea for integration among the disciplines as well as between graduates and under-graduates. The conference which was well attended was hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of the West Indies (TTWI) which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The Institute was established in 1978 under the umbrella of the Tapia House Group. TTWI undertakes research for development agencies, governments and corporations. It also conducts public lectures, seminars and discussion, has run an Open College and organises courses and internships for students visiting from overseas. The flagship publication of the Institute is the Trinidad and Tobago Review.The Review which is a journal of Caribbean affairs was originally called Tapia.