Schools need to be inspected, evaluated

Although politically attractive, it resulted in some candidates being placed who did not have the required competencies to manage the work at secondary school.

This led frustrated students to seek alternative, but undesirable, outlets in situations where they could not achieve the expected learning goals of secondary education.

I was therefore heartened to read that this year, SE A candidates who are under 13 years and scored below 30 percent would be asked to resit the exam. Because of the importance of relevant secondary education to everyone in TT , I wish that the cut-off point was 50 percent, and that there was no age limit. However, I am thankful for small mercies, but I must warn those in the Ministry of Education that a lot more needs to be done for this resit opportunity to bear fruit.

Note that these students were schooled for seven years, and failed to achieve the primary level learning intents which include: receiving the experiences, tools, and resources to construct knowledge that is relevant to their needs and interests; being prepared and motivated toward lifelong learning; being empowered to become agents of personal and social transformation; being equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to attain a good quality of life; and being able to utilise all dimensions of knowledge that will support their development.

Our education system must introduce meaningful monitoring and evaluating strategies to ensure that the primary schools are actually employing effective teaching and learning strategies that will ensure that the aforementioned intents are realised.

The school supervisory system has failed miserably in this respect, and I humbly suggest that we consider the idea offered by the late Prof John Spence for independent inspection and evaluation of schools.

In a 2012 article, Spence advised that we look at the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) initiative used in the UK where all schools are inspected at least once in every five years by a team of some ten people, experts in different fields of education, who spend a week at each school examining all aspects of the school’s operations.

Inspectors go into classrooms and listen to teaching, examine homework books, talk to teachers and students.

The inspectors report on performance in individual subjects, particularly comparing this with previous inspections, comment on the quality of teaching, on behaviour of students in the school. Comment is made on leadership in the school, on relations between the school and the community.

The reports include assessment of the school’s infrastructure.

Spence noted that the inspectors were all trained and certified and each report is posted on the Ofsted website.

I humbly suggest that consideration be given to Spence’s suggestion.

DAVID SUBRAN via email 14