Dr. Editor,

MAE’s Primary Department has a policy which states that any child who attains less than 65 percent for two consecutive terms has to be withdrawn from the school.The flaw with this, Mr. Editor, is that many children who started Mae’s from the playgroup stage and moved into the primary division fall victim to the same policy. In all fairness, why should a child who is the product of a system be discarded by the system that produced that child?

There are normally four classes at every level in the primary division. Each class, apart from having its class name, is branded with the letters A, B, C and D. Now, the ‘A’ class, as many would realise, is the ‘first class’; or, as they refer to it in the Mae’s system, the ‘high flyers’. This class would have children who have been able to work exceedingly well and maintain a 90-plus average. At the grade 6 level, the ‘A’ class is expected to produce very good results at the National Grade 6 Assessment and keep the name of Mae’s popular. The B class would have those children who are able to attain averages ranging from 80 to 90; while the C and D classes are the weakest classes, and are normally referred to as the “mixed ability classes”.

Children in the C and D classes range in average from 40 to 80 percent, the majority of them really being in the 60s and early 70s.

The issue is the “mixed ability classes”. I know it’s safe to say that nothing substantial has been done over the years to save those children academically. Apart from the fact that some teachers are not prepared to work wholeheartedly with those children, the school lacks suitable resources to effectively address the needs of the children. Imagine a cash cow school like Mae’s lacking suitable resources. How ironic! Administrators have become so consumed with greed that they have forgotten the definition of the word ‘school’. They have forgotten about their mission and vision. It has all become so clouded that they have lost their sense of direction and forgotten their obligation to society in general.

The administrators are keen to speak of the institution as being a school of excellence, but can the same administrators speak of programmes or strategies which have been implemented at the ‘school of excellence’ over the 2015/2016 school year to advance the children?

There is a general lack of ingenuity at the institution. The mere fact that the administrators are not educators has affected the institution negatively. They continually focus on making decisions which may be good for business, but such decisions, more often than not, go against the professional interests of the teachers. As a result, some teachers generally lack motivation, because they are expected to produce results in unrealistic situations.

Apart from the inadequacies of the physical environment, the intimidatory nature of the administrators is also highly counterproductive. In addition, the lack of PTA is also a hindrance to the growth of the school, since the input of parents and guardians is stymied.

The Administration of Mae’s is simply not willing to invest a small percentage of the millions acquired every term towards the improvement and development of children who are underachieving. Just imagine 25 students in one class at $60,000 per term. In one term, it accumulates to $1,500,000 per class. For four classes, that’s a total of $6,000,000 per term. Are parents getting value for their money?

Presently, at the grade 5 level, the two “mixed ability” classes have a total of 46 pupils. Based on results of the Easter Term Test (last term), 31 pupils attained an average of less than 70 percent. Collectively, the parents of those 31 pupils invested approximately $3,720,000 over the first and second terms, and the administration has not ensured that their investment has proven to be a worthwhile one. However, they are quite happy to enforce a late fee of $6,000 for school fees which are overdue.

Throughout this present term, can the Administration state what was done to improve each of those children? They have done nothing. Parents will be accused of not doing enough. They will be told the child is unsettled and talks too much. They will be told the child is not focused. I know many parents can relate to those statements.
The National Grade 6 Assessment is scheduled for March 2017. Can there be a turnaround for those children? The Grade 6 programme is a rigorous one. Will those children cope with the workload and transform academically? Who will be held accountable if those children don’t perform? Mae’s is simply not about all the children, the school is only about the ‘A’ class, the results class, the class which will gain the attention of the public and encourage many to flock to the school with the hope of academic transformation of their children. This is purely false hope.
Yours sincerely,
FORMER TEACHER