THE National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results will soon be out and one will be hoping that the results are better when compared to the previous year, especially in the key areas of Mathematics and English Language. These two subjects have been the main problematic areas for Guyana and the majority of countries in the CARICOM region. Over the years, pupils’ performance in Mathematics and English at the NGSA have been very unfavourable to say the least, even though sound systems are in place at the primary school level to support weak students. Having a good system in place is all but one step in solving the problem; it has to be complemented by implementation, and this appears to be the main bugbear affecting the primary education system.
The NGSA is unarguably the most strategic assessment designed to promote learning at the primary level, but poor implementation and forward planning on the part of teachers and education officers have stymied its success. The assessment is threefold. The first in Grade Two is designed to identify pupils’ weaknesses in literacy and numeracy; by Grade Four these should be corrected; and by Grade Six, they should be able master basic concepts in these two disciplines and pass their final examinations without much struggle. These assessments in other words are really diagnostic tools to identify pupils’ weaknesses and correct them before they leave the primary school.
Yet, while they are in place, there is an unacceptable failure rate in Math and English at the final national primary school examinations. Every year about 15,000 candidates sit the NGSA and the data in the public domain point to a crisis if not a matter of serious concern. In 2010, some 34 per cent of pupils obtained a score of 50 per cent and more in Mathematics; in 2011, it increased to 38 per cent; in 2013 it increased again to an encouraging 43 per cent, but dropped significantly in 2014 to 31 per cent.
With regard to English, only 24 per cent were able to muster a score of 50 per cent and more in 2010. This pass rate increased to 41 per cent in 2011; in 2013 it declined to 28 per cent; while it 2014 it jumped to 51 per cent. For some strange reason, no announcement was made of pupils’ performance in these two core subject areas in 2015; but generally, what these results show is that there is much work to be done if our primary schools are going to churn out pupils who are competent in the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy.
And corrective action has to be taken urgently, because the problem is compounded when these pupils enter the secondary school system. Year after year, it is evident in the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) examinations with apparently little or no change. In 2010, the pass rate at CSEC, counting Grades One to Three was 59 per cent; in 2011 it moved to 60 per cent; but declined in 2012 to 37 per cent; but increased to 45 per cent in 2013; before increasing again but marginally to 46 per cent in 2014. While students’ performance in English at secondary school has not been impressive, their performance in Mathematics is one to forget.
Counting Grades One to Three, the pass rate in 2010 was 35 per cent; in 2011 it dipped to 30 per cent; in 2012 it declined further to 29 per cent; in 2013 it further declined to 28 per cent; before increasing to an encouraging 38 per cent in 2014. These statistics should not be glossed over by education officials, but must be the bases for careful planning and crafting of strategies to meaningfully address the heavy failures in these two subjects at both primary and secondary schools.
And straight of the bat, greater attention needs to be placed on proper implementation of the National Grade Six Assessment system, and probably re-look at the other core subjects offered at the primary level, namely Science and Social Studies. While these two subjects are important, in the scheme of things, they are secondary to Mathematics and English. But more importantly, they can be incorporated into Mathematics and English. If this is done, it will lessen the stress on pupils having to focus on four subject areas at the primary level, and increase the attention given to English and Mathematics, which will include general knowledge and strong focus on reasoning, understanding and comprehension.
As long as students can master the basics of literacy and numeracy, a solid foundation will be set for them to excel in the other subject areas. And gradually, the high failure rates in English and Mathematics, both at the primary and secondary levels will progressively diminish. One hopes that this matter will be given due attention at the current Commission of Inquiry into the education system as well as the senior education administrators at the ministry’s central Brickdam office.