EDUCATION Minister Shaik Baksh has called on teachers to pay special attention to slow learners in an effort to improve their performance in the classroom.
He made the appeal during a meeting with scores of teachers at the Arapaima Primary School in Lethem, Region Nine, on his recent education outreach to that region.
Baksh, who was accompanied by Acting Chief Education Officer Roopnarine Tewari, implored teachers to strive to differentiate the varying abilities of their students and work with low achievers to reverse their poor outcomes.
He stressed that this measure is important as it will make a significant difference in ensuring that children leave school with a quality education. Failure to deliver in this area, the minister conceded, will be an indictment of the Ministry of Education.
He urged teachers to give at least one hour per day after school to work with their weak students.
This commitment and dedication on the part of teachers, Baksh underlined, will go a far way in making the slogan “no child must be left behind” a reality.
He said that the literacy hour and students’ performance at the National Grade Two and Four Assessments, like all other programmes in the school system, will be evaluated to identify areas that need to be strengthened.
The Minister contended that the problem with students failing to gasp key concepts in literacy and numeracy is at the primary level, and from there it has to be corrected to avoid a spillover to secondary schools.
He reported that the Ministry of Education has implemented several measures to address this shortcoming, including the introduction of a National Grade Four Certificate from next year.
This intervention, Baksh said, will put more pressure on both pupils and teachers to perform, as it will be a requirement for pupils to sit the National Grade Six Assessment.
Pupils who fail the Grade Four Assessment, he explained, will be given an opportunity to make amends in Grade Five, and those who are unsuccessful will most likely be awarded placements at a remedial Six Form secondary school. At these schools, the year one curriculum is designed with heavy emphasis on literacy and numeracy, and the aim is to raise these students learning ability to the level of secondary school standards.
Baksh also pointed out that the names of those schools with pass rates below 50 per cent at the National Grade Four Assessment will be published in the newspapers.
He emphasized that the government will be providing all the learning resource materials and support, and teachers who repeatedly fail to deliver will be rotated in the education system.
Apart from this, the minister told the gathering that he is trying to secure 1,000 radios to boost the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) programme in primary schools, and plans are being made to ensure pre-primary education is compulsory next year.
At the secondary level, the minister said that students who perform poorly will undergo a series of remediation programmes in the areas of literacy and numeracy to be on track when they enter Grade 10.
The secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) also came on steam for the first time at Grade Nine at the commencement of this academic year.
The SCCP, a technical and vocational programme, offers students an alternative path from the academically oriented streams. It aims to stem school drop-outs and ensure secondary school students are adequately prepared for the world of work.
Prior to September, the programme was offered in Grade 10 in 22 secondary schools and seven practical instructional centres across the county.
It was introduced in 12 more schools this month, primarily in the hinterland regions. Head of the SCCP Unit, Aubrey Overton, who accompanied Minister Baksh on the outreach, also conducted a training session with a group of Region Nine teachers on the outlook and delivery methodology of the programme at the St. Ignatius Secondary School.