A child has the right to write as many subjects the are able to do.

Perhaps, Rupert Roopnaraine feels that the Guyanese population is now under the political control of his PNC/AFC so that they are obligated to do as they - PNC/AFC - wants.

These guys are hell bent on destruction.  I have to tell you though that I expected better from Roopnarine.  He has attended some prestigious educational institutions and should know better.  He was the only one in the cabinet I had a little faith in a year ago.  There are three things you don't mess around with in a country's economy  - education, healthcare, and finance.  Either one of these fail and the whole country fails.

Education, healthcare, and finance ate indeed important aspects in life.

Perhaps, his focus is on implementing programmes for Guyana to fail as it did during the 1964 to 1992 period.

Maybe Rupert Roopnarine has become mentally incompetent to function as a minister

Rupert is a Knucklehead...for a guy with a DR next to his name, why would he place limits on what kids want to do. 

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

Maybe Rupert Roopnarine has become mentally incompetent to function as a minister

I thought of this also because I cannot imagine a man with his educational background making a decision like this.  He is a very sick man and may be functioning with limitations.

Or was he not the one who made that decision????????????????

Darn I was lucky to write 9.  What is the rationale for this decision?  How does this improve education in Guyana? 

Maybe he following Harmon's orders

I wrote GCE O Level Pure Math in fourth form and nine more subjects in Fifth. I could probably be successful with a couple more subjects but the way the streams were set up, you would not have a teacher for much more than ten subjects. It must be vastly different today to have teachers for twenty subjects. The students today also have a lot of after school lessons since the teachers use that to earn more money, being vastly underpaid. 

If the students are capable of writing twenty subjects, I don't think that the Education Ministry should try to limit them. The standard of today's exams are probably easier than in my day.

ksazma posted:

Maybe he following Harmon's orders

Most likely, since Joseph Harmon is the true president whether Granger is in or out of Guyana.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

Maybe Rupert Roopnarine has become mentally incompetent to function as a minister

I thought of this also because I cannot imagine a man with his educational background making a decision like this.  He is a very sick man and may be functioning with limitations.

Or was he not the one who made that decision????????????????

Highly educated people are not immuned to mental illness nor insusceptible to the influence of their superiors. 

These CXC exams are given by some Caribbean Examination Board. Do individual countries have the right to decide how many examinations a student can take at one sitting??  Lets answer this question first before we get into a debate.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

Filed Under: News

Teachers oppose limiting students’ subjects at CXC

May 5, 2016 By Editor

 In early April, the Education Minister had stated that he was against students writing more than eight subjects as students who write more than the required subjects lose the chance to be engaged in extra-curricular activities in most cases. He had stated that he was a strong believer that students should have the opportunity to grow throughout their school days, being able to get involved in activities that did not all focus on academics.
 both parents and students before making the decision.

.

Education isn't just "book knowledge".  Its the growth as an individual.

A child who doesn't engage in extra curricular activities is missing out in critical character development.

Why do you think that the best universities in the USA base their admissions, not only on SAT scores, but also on activities not directly connected to the academic curriculum?  The last thing that they want is a classroom of nerds who don't have an experience in life outside of a book.

Demerara_Guy posted:

A child has the right to write as many subjects the are able to do.

Perhaps, Rupert Roopnaraine feels that the Guyanese population is now under the political control of his PNC/AFC so that they are obligated to do as they - PNC/AFC - wants.

Its the responsibility of the educational system to prepare students for life.  There are skills that children will need to survive as adults, beyond bashing books.

How many of those kids can stand in front of a class and give a presentation? 

How many have the leadership skills to manage a project? 

How many have the interpersonal skills to win over others to their point of view?

These are life skills that cannot be learned from passing 20 subjects with the highest grade.  They are learned from being engaged in extra curricular activities. 

In addition it has been proven that exposure to the arts stimulates creative thought.  I bet many of these 20 subject kids are most adept at regurgitating what they have read!

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

 

Highly educated people are not immuned to mental illness nor insusceptible to the influence of their superiors. 

Passing 20 subjects, with no involvement in other activities does not an educated person make.

In fact nerds, with no interpersonal, or social skills, are on a fast track to mental break down, once they discover their inability to function in the real world.

Mars posted:

I wrote GCE O Level Pure Math in fourth form and nine more subjects in Fifth. I could probably be successful with a couple more subjects but the way the streams were set up, you would not have a teacher for much more than ten subjects. It must be vastly different today to have teachers for twenty subjects. The students today also have a lot of after school lessons since the teachers use that to earn more money, being vastly underpaid. 

If the students are capable of writing twenty subjects, I don't think that the Education Ministry should try to limit them. The standard of today's exams are probably easier than in my day.

Same as Alena.  She wrote Maths in 4th form and got an A.  And followed up with nine subjects in fifth form! 

Demerara_Guy posted:

ksazma posted:

Maybe he following Harmon's orders

Most likely, since Joseph Harmon is the true president whether Granger is in or out of Guyana.

I doubt that Harmon cares as to whether kids take 2 subjects or 20.

Roopnarine, as an educator, knows full well that in the US educational system much emphasis is placed on extra curricular activities, an life skills.  He has also seen the damage that certificate mills does to kids, who grow up thinking that passing exams is all that they need to do in life.

VishMahabir posted:

Rupert is a Knucklehead...for a guy with a DR next to his name, why would he place limits on what kids want to do. 

BECAUSE he has a DR to his name he knows that a true educational system doesn't deliver nerds.  It delivers people with a broad range of life skills, in addition to a sound academic preparation. 

I even wonder how indepth these kids get into their subject matter, if they are studying 20 subjects.

In the "O" Level days we did 8 subjects.  What is wrong with that?  In fact I don't even think that we were permitted to take more, at one sitting.

Mars posted:

. The students today also have a lot of after school lessons since the teachers use that to earn more money, being vastly underpaid. 

 

What used to distinguish students from schools like QC and Bishops was that they turned out a well rounded student.  These were intellectually self confident people, with the life skills to enter the US job market and do well.

Now imagine a kid who spends all day and all night studying.  No sports, or other character molding activities.  Only knowing how to read and pass exams.  Then you dump them into the US rat race and expect them to succeed. 

Given that much of education at the college level revolves around working in project teams, or class participation, these "20 subject kids" will be lost.

caribny posted:

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

 

Highly educated people are not immuned to mental illness nor insusceptible to the influence of their superiors. 

Passing 20 subjects, with no involvement in other activities does not an educated person make.

In fact nerds, with no interpersonal, or social skills, are on a fast track to mental break down, once they discover their inability to function in the real world.

What used to be one subject is now two and three. 20 subjects today could very well be what you used to be between 7 and 10 subjects. 

This is true Dictatorship, now they want to limit ones ability to learn.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

These guys are hell bent on destruction.  I have to tell you though that I expected better from Roopnarine.  He has attended some prestigious educational institutions and should know better.  He was the only one in the cabinet I had a little faith in a year ago.  There are three things you don't mess around with in a country's economy  - education, healthcare, and finance.  Either one of these fail and the whole country fails.

Rupert is a Special Person......

He is not a Scamp, Crook or Thief....

All his life......

 He Choose to Hunt with the Cat

Instead of Scratching

& Running with De Rat

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

 

What used to be one subject is now two and three. 20 subjects today could very well be what you used to be between 7 and 10 subjects. 

This is not the case, and in fact some subjects are even combined.

The parents of these kids want to show "me got one bright child" by boasting that they passed 20 subjects. 

Guyanese have a very narrow notion of what education is.  They same parents probably force the poor kids into the "doctor, lawyer, engineer" straight jacket as well.

kp posted:

This is true Dictatorship, now they want to limit ones ability to learn.

Learn what? How to pass exams.  Seriously.  School is from 8-3. Extra curricular is supposed to be from 3-7.  Rather than engaging in character building activities, that will provide them with life skills that will be critical to their success, they then go to extra lessons.

The teachers need to cut this extra lessons racket.  Only kids with particular challenges in a subject area ought to be engaged in this.

caribny posted:

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

 

Highly educated people are not immuned to mental illness nor insusceptible to the influence of their superiors. 

Passing 20 subjects, with no involvement in other activities does not an educated person make.

In fact nerds, with no interpersonal, or social skills, are on a fast track to mental break down, once they discover their inability to function in the real world.

Taking 20 exams at one sitting is like attempting to reach the peak of Mt. Everest. To most students that is insane. Most Guyanese students would not even think about doing so. However, if a tiny fraction of students prefer to challenge themselves and test their limitations they should be free to do so. Making a law to restrict students from taking more than 8 subjects at one sitting is outrageous. People should have the option to take as many as they prefer. Can the Minister give us some valid reasons why he thinks students should be limited to taking no more than 8 subjects??  He needs to come up with a more convincing argument.  Don't tell me we should follow what he says because he is an overachiever. That's not how people think in intelligent societies.

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

.. However, if a tiny fraction of students prefer to challenge themselves .

 

When asked about this many of these students mentioned grueling hours with extra lessons.  I bet this isn't the kids, but the parents who have a backward notion of what education is, and total ignorance of what it takes to thrive in 21st century occupations. 

Guyana is not going to move forward with the old colonial hierarchical way of thinking.  So getting respect "because you are the boss" isn't going to work.

These kids need life skills, and creativity and getting 20 passes in esoteric forms of math isn't going to cut it!

In fact these kids shouldn't even be allowed to graduate without completing some activity which allows them to develop life skills. 

I am way more impressed with those girls who developed innovative technology to meet the needs of their community than I am with some nerd who spends 15 hours a day studying.

caribny posted:

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

.. However, if a tiny fraction of students prefer to challenge themselves .

 

When asked about this many of these students mentioned grueling hours with extra lessons.  I bet this isn't the kids, but the parents who have a backward notion of what education is, and total ignorance of what it takes to thrive in 21st century occupations. 

Guyana is not going to move forward with the old colonial hierarchical way of thinking.  So getting respect "because you are the boss" isn't going to work.

These kids need life skills, and creativity and getting 20 passes in esoteric forms of math isn't going to cut it!

In fact these kids shouldn't even be allowed to graduate without completing some activity which allows them to develop life skills. 

I am way more impressed with those girls who developed innovative technology to meet the needs of their community than I am with some nerd who spends 15 hours a day studying.

Apparently you and the PNC want to dumb down the kids of Guyana. While a child writing 20 subjects raises questions on how deep the curriculum of these courses really are, if the rest of the Caribbean has not seen fit to place restrictions then Guyana shouldn't.  You always hear about Guyanese topping the Caribbean, now Rup and Granger are making sure this doesn't happen again. 

caribny posted:

kp posted:

This is true Dictatorship, now they want to limit ones ability to learn.

Learn what? How to pass exams.  Seriously.  School is from 8-3. Extra curricular is supposed to be from 3-7.  Rather than engaging in character building activities, that will provide them with life skills that will be critical to their success, they then go to extra lessons.

The teachers need to cut this extra lessons racket.  Only kids with particular challenges in a subject area ought to be engaged in this.

Someone who is educated would not make such statement, because they know how important education is in their success in life. A good example is the Silicone Valley it is dominated with highly educated Chinese and Indians. The talk of character building and life skills are usually fed by the parents and family circle, maybe other races don't have that benefit. I have two kids and they are both highly educated but along the way they engage in sports and other social activities. If the youths in Guyana were educated ,one they will be gainfully employed, secondly, they would not sit back and allow any and all ignorant government control them.As for extra lessons, if a family has the economic means, then they should be able to give their children that extra boost, it is not just a pass mark, but marks that will enable one to get a scholarship at a top university. Life is a competition.only the cream rises at the top.

caribny posted:

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

 

What used to be one subject is now two and three. 20 subjects today could very well be what you used to be between 7 and 10 subjects. 

This is not the case, and in fact some subjects are even combined.

The parents of these kids want to show "me got one bright child" by boasting that they passed 20 subjects. 

Guyanese have a very narrow notion of what education is.  They same parents probably force the poor kids into the "doctor, lawyer, engineer" straight jacket as well.

Carib, you don't know what you are saying.  Billy Ram is right.  I used to teach CXC.  20 subjects today could have easily been 10 subjects in GCE days.

caribny posted:

Billy Ram Balgobin posted:

 

Highly educated people are not immuned to mental illness nor insusceptible to the influence of their superiors. 

Passing 20 subjects, with no involvement in other activities does not an educated person make.

In fact nerds, with no interpersonal, or social skills, are on a fast track to mental break down, once they discover their inability to function in the real world.

Banna, why you knocking on the nerds? 

Some of these people could be future Einsteins....

“How is it that little children are so intelligent and men so stupid? It must be education that does it."

Alexandre Dumas

Drugb posted:

 

Apparently you and the PNC want to dumb down the kids of Guyana. While a child writing 20 subjects raises questions on how deep the curriculum of these courses really are, if the rest of the Caribbean has not seen fit to place restrictions then Guyana shouldn't.  You always hear about Guyanese topping the Caribbean, now Rup and Granger are making sure this doesn't happen again. 

Druggie you didn't even pass one CXC/O levels so don't even babble about 20.

BTW the rest of the Caribbean don't get into this 20 subjects nonsense!

Guyana does NOT top the Caribbean.  We come LAST!  I have shown our pass test results for several years.  Even Jamaica beats us, and they aren't happy with their results.

In fact this is the mentality.  Some nerd passes with 20 so gets top score. It doesn't bother you that the majority of Guyanese kids fail to pass English or Math. 

I suggest that Guyana focuses on ensuring that they can bring their passes to islands like St Kitts, Antigua, and St Lucia, or even to Jamaica, using a lower bench mark.

VishMahabir posted:

 

Some of these people could be future Einsteins....

They aren't even going to get into the best Ivy schools if all they can show is 20 passes.  So, sorry, no Einstein. 

Ivies want rounded kids, not boring people who are only capable of regurgitating what they find in a book. 

Why do you think that wealthy white parents bankroll their kids to set up schools in the Dominican Republic, or Peru?  Or writing new applications.

This offers more guarantees than having them spend 15 hours a day with the best tutors.

You know who will be the dumb ones.  The kid who arrives in college burned out because he has been bashing books for 15 hours daily, and has nothing to offer but that.  Employers don't want those people either.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

 

Carib, you don't know what you are saying.  Billy Ram is right.  I used to teach CXC.  20 subjects today could have easily been 10 subjects in GCE days.

So if 20 is equal to 10 then how come this kids spent all day doing extra lessons.

I did 8 "O" levels, had a full life doing extra curricular activities, and got good results too!

So either these kids are stupid, or 20 subjects isn't equivalent to 10.

kp posted:

.

 A good example is the Silicone Valley it is dominated with highly educated Chinese top.

Good that you mention that.  The Chinese get hired, but don't get promoted.  Why?  They lack life skills, are seen as lacking creativity, and are seen as having poor interpersonal skills.  The Indian American kids will also do better than the Asian Indian kids, even though the latter will come with that "20 subject" mentality.

As a result they slave for white men like Zuckerburg, who is a college drop out, or Bill Gates, and Steve Job, neither of whom even went to college.

Roopnarine wants to train a Bill Gates, not one of his slaves.

Clearly you all have slave mentalities, or you would understand that life skills comes from extra curricular activities.  Why do you think that extra curricular activities was so important at QC and Bishops.  I challenge you to find any one who graduated from either school prior to 1985,who wasn't involved in at least one activity.

The curriculum is very different.  For GCE you study for 5 years in high school and sit in an exam for two or three hours and get a grade.  It was a difficult exam and if you couldn't prove yourself in those 2 or 3 hours you can fail.

For the CXC subjects, many of them have a course work component whereby the teacher grades essays and projects and submit the papers to the Ministry of Education.  This is the part when it becomes time consuming and students end up in extra lessons to get guidance.

The coursework component  can be up to 50% of the grade.  In terms of the actual exam, I thought it was easier for the CXC subjects. 

This has changed somewhat since my teaching days.  I am not sure if there is even an exam for subjects like agriculture. 

I do agree with your point on extracurricular activities in that students do not participate in sports, drama, etc, which is an essential component of a rounded education.

However, in order to compete with the other Caribbean nations whose best students are doing 18 and 20 subjects, the Guyanese students end up being book worms.

This is where Roopnarine is wrong.  We cannot send students to compete with 8 subjects when Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad have students who write 20 subjects. 

caribny posted:

VishMahabir posted:

 

Some of these people could be future Einsteins....

They aren't even going to get into the best Ivy schools if all they can show is 20 passes.  So, sorry, no Einstein. 

Ivies want rounded kids, not boring people who are only capable of regurgitating what they find in a book. 

Why do you think that wealthy white parents bankroll their kids to set up schools in the Dominican Republic, or Peru?  Or writing new applications.

This offers more guarantees than having them spend 15 hours a day with the best tutors.

You know who will be the dumb ones.  The kid who arrives in college burned out because he has been bashing books for 15 hours daily, and has nothing to offer but that.  Employers don't want those people either.

Hold it deh.  Frank Anthony's daughter got 18 As. Speaks more than one language - I think 3 but not sure. Is a champion swimmer and a professionally trained dancer.  Don't hold our students down. 

Agreed that not everyone has the same ability but why set limits on those who can do it.  I say challenge them and take them to the next level.

There is another girl name Amlata Persaud who is a product of this system and she happens to be Guyana's first female Rhodes Scholar.  She graduated from Oxford University and is now completing her PhD at Columbia.  She will be returning to Guyana upon her graduation to work in the Education Ministry.  Me hope Granger give she wan lil job deh!!!

Bibi Haniffa posted:

caribny posted:

VishMahabir posted:

 

Some of these people could be future Einsteins....

They aren't even going to get into the best Ivy schools if all they can show is 20 passes.  So, sorry, no Einstein. 

Ivies want rounded kids, not boring people who are only capable of regurgitating what they find in a book. 

Why do you think that wealthy white parents bankroll their kids to set up schools in the Dominican Republic, or Peru?  Or writing new applications.

This offers more guarantees than having them spend 15 hours a day with the best tutors.

You know who will be the dumb ones.  The kid who arrives in college burned out because he has been bashing books for 15 hours daily, and has nothing to offer but that.  Employers don't want those people either.

Hold it deh.  Frank Anthony's daughter got 18 As. Speaks more than one language - I think 3 but not sure. Is a champion swimmer and a professionally trained dancer.  Don't hold our students down. 

Agreed that not everyone has the same ability but why set limits on those who can do it.  I say challenge them and take them to the next level.

There is another girl name Amlata Persaud who is a product of this system and she happens to be Guyana's first female Rhodes Scholar.  She graduated from Oxford University and is now completing her PhD at Columbia.  She will be returning to Guyana upon her graduation to work in the Education Ministry.  Me hope Granger give she wan lil job deh!!!

Hopefully, it may happen.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

“How is it that little children are so intelligent and men so stupid? It must be education that does it."

Alexandre Dumas

They play-around as being stupid.