-Baksh says this issue will be addressed for new school term
THE teacher manning Grades Four, Five and Six at the Santa Primary School, Santa Mission – Region Three (West Demerara/ Essequibo Islands) – Mr. Winston Smith said the primary issue affecting education at the institution is a shortage of teachers.
At present there are only four teachers who cater for close to 70 children.
“We make use of what we have, but what we need is more teachers to expand the subject areas,” he said.
The school has been meeting the educational needs of the Santa Mission community for the past 17 years and two years ago its operations was moved to a new concrete building, facilitated through support by the Education Ministry.
The one school in the community it caters for nursery and primary level needs and has a secondary department – called Primary Tops – that services the education needs of the older children.
Smith explained that the expansion of the subject areas is needed expressly for the secondary department to assist with the children’s development and put them on par with students elsewhere.
“There have been challenges, but we are working with what we have,” Smith said.
He pointed out that the school has had many successes, which include better performance at this year’s Grade Six Assessment and the increased use of technology in the delivery of education.
“We have one computer and use a borrowed generator because there is no power system in the school and this is helping the children,” he said.
Smith added that he is optimistic that the power situation will change soon as there is talk about acquiring solar panels for the school.
He said, “Apart from that the teachers we have are more trained…through CPCE (Cyril Potter College of Education) there is a Distance Education and the teachers made use of that.”
Smith pointed out that with the loss of the school’s headmaster, Mr. Gordon Cheong who retired, the inadequate resources has increased.
“There are vacancies out so we hope in the new school year we have more teachers,” he said.
He added that the other challenge facing the school is an inadequately functioning Parents Teachers Association (PTA).
“We have some work to do, but we have also come a far way,” Smith said.
He explained that he was born and raised in Santa Mission and also attended Santa Primary School.
“After school I went to CPCE and started teaching to give back. I have been teaching for the past three years and am satisfied because I see the improvements,” he said.
A notable characteristic about the Santa Mission is the strong community spirit which lends itself to the development in several areas.
Regional Education Officer in Region Three, Mrs. Marilyn Jones-O’Donoghue, for a comment of the shortage of teachers proved futile. However, Education Minister Shaik Baksh said the situation with staffing will be addressed in the new term. He pointed out that at present the student teacher ratio is adequate.
Relative to the school’s request to have more teachers to expand the subject areas at the secondary level, Baksh said the minimum number of subjects to be taken by these students is eight.
The Education Minister made it clear that resources of the Ministry have to be apportioned in the best possible way, dependent on the needs of institutions involved in the delivery of education.