Real goal of education

The irony lies in the fact that the abolition of the SEA’s predecessor, the Common Entrance exam, was talked about for decades before former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday decided to do away with it within a year. In tandem with this political (as distinct from technocratic) decision, Mr Panday also mandated then-Education Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to find secondary school places for all primary school children within months — a task which was accomplished by paying private institutions, by hasty granting of approvals to other educational organisations, and by packing government-run secondary schools. So the additional irony, given that the PNM had at the time raised objections about the unplanned nature of this decision, is that Mrs Manning now makes the provision of school places to all children an annual boast.

The crucial fact remains, however, that the change from CE to SEA was purely cosmetic. The main arguments against the CE was that it put children under undue stress; distorted teaching by making passing the CE, rather than learning back academic skills, the focus of primary school education; and didn’t necessarily provide an accurate assessment of children’s intelligence. But the SEA has solved none of these issues. In an interview with Newsday, the Education Minister hinted that the National Test, which is given to children in Standards One and Three, may supplement and eventually replace the SEA.

It might seem that replacing one test with two or three more is not an improvement. However, if these tests are properly organised and administered, there are several advantages to this approach. First and foremost, the tests will not disrupt children’s normal learning, since they will take part within the students’ normal school environment. Second, by incorporating continuous assessment, examiners will get a better estimate of a child’s ability. Third, these tests can be incorporated within standard learning goals, which allows a wider and deeper grounding in basic academic, thinking, and social skills.

At the same time, even if this approach is implemented, it will not impact on the main issue — that the SEA is not so much an academic test as a competitive one. The competition is to choose students for the prestige schools — for the most part, the denominational schools where teaching methods and disciplinary standards are supposed to be better. We say “supposed” not because the outcomes do not demonstrate this, but because the factors that make Government schools less desirable have to do with less effective systems, negative learning cultures, and a cohort of students whose backgrounds do not predispose them to academic accomplishment.

What this means is that Government’s ultimate goal must be to have secondary schools which do not fall below a certain minimum standard, as well as ensuring that primary schools maintain and improve their teaching methods, especially in the area of catering to those students who may have inherent learning disabilities. In similar fashion, secondary schools must be re-oriented to cater to the multiple intelligences of students, in a manner which will ensure that the majority of students feel comfortable in the school environment and have the opportunity to develop their particular skills and talents.

Needless to say, this is an immense project. But, with proper planning, it is hardly an impossible one. And it is certainly an absolutely necessary goal if Trinidad and Tobago is to become a developed nation.