Hazel: Tobago pupils need help

MINISTER of Education, Hazel Manning, yesterday disclosed that pupils in Tobago and South East Trinidad came lowest in the National Test in Math and English, or “Language Arts,” the ministry recently administered to 35,303 primary school pupils in standards one and three. In contrast, she said, the country’s brightest pupils existed in Victoria, Caroni and St George East. She made her revelations at a post-Cabinet media conference at Whitehall. Manning said the average score of each educational district ranged from a low of 42 (presumably in Tobago and South East Trinidad) to a high of 58, with a national standardised mean score of 50.

She said a report on the National Test urged more resources for Tobago and South East Trinidad. In addition, there were pupils in each educational district who were underperforming. Manning also noted that male pupils were performing worse than females. Moreso, she added, gap between female pupils and males was even greater in Language than Math. For Language, the gender gap was greatest in Tobago and South East Trinidad. Moreso for Language, the gender gap got worse as pupils moved from Standard One to Standard Three. 

For Math, there was less difference in the performance of girls and boys as they moved from Standard One to Standard Three. “While there are more male students in the below average range, a significant number of female students are also present in the below average range.” Manning said the report recommended a mandatory reading and writing programme in each school. Also required, she added, was more research, partnering of the ministry with research institutions, researching pre-schools, and the training of principals and teachers in assessment methods.