EDUCATION Minister Shaik Baksh has identified inadequate parental supervision of their children’s schooling, the upsurge in conflict and violence in schools, school leadership and teachers’ dedication and commitment to the job as major concerns in 2009.

Speaking at a recent media briefing in his Lot 21 Brickdam, Georgetown office, he told reporters his ministry has been trying to resuscitate Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs), simply to get parents to play a greater role in their children’s education and a national PTA Coordinator was appointed to achieve this objective.

Meantime, Mr. Baksh said attendance rate has to improve, from an average 77 per cent in 2009 to more than 90 per cent, in the next few years.

He announced that the Schools Welfare Unit as well as the Guidance and Counseling Unit will be intensifying their work to achieve that target.

Baksh observed that regular students’ absenteeism does not only affect the completion of the curriculum but also the quality of learning outcome.

On the issue of violence in schools, he said a national dialogue will be conducted, this month, to examine the factors that are contributing to the problem and devise possible solutions.

Baksh emphasized, too, that leadership in schools is pivotal to obtaining better results and his ministry, in its strive to improve performance in this area, has enrolled 700 senior teachers at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) to undergo an 18 months distance education programme.

He said teachers also need to adopt a new work ethic and give of their best to improve students’ performance at the various examinations.(TAJERAM MOHABIR)