The Minister is hiding the high failure rate in the public schools

Dear Editor, The script has become quite familiar and rather expected. It would be a major understatement to say all is well with Guyana’s educational system. This notion was recently reinforced by the results of the 2014 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CXC) results in which there are massive failures in Mathematics and the hard Sciences. Ms. Pyria Manickchand and senior education officials have acknowledged that the system is failing the students. According to a reliable source from the Ministry Of Education in Guyana, 75 per cent of all the public secondary schools are underperforming. Correspondingly, only 25 per cent of all post-primary schools in Guyana are producing graduates capable of passing five or more subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CXC) level, inclusive of English Language, Mathematics Chemistry, Physics and Biology. A minimum of five CSEC subjects including Maths and English are required by students in order to matriculate into tertiary level studies and/or enter the world of work. Disturbingly, three-quarters of our secondary schools are not able to meet this minimum target. After almost three years in office, the Minister of Education is yet to find a solution to this major problem. Rather than photo ops, the Minister should stop her cuss-down and abusive and vulgar behavior and concentrate her efforts to improve the education system which is in a very poor state. UG is collapsing, the President’s College is in shambles and the elementary and high schools are decaying rapidly in that they lack basic amenities—working toilets, adequate potable water supply and basic school supplies. We were reliably informed that there are major shortages of qualified and trained teachers in Guyana to teach Maths and the hard Sciences especially in the rural communities. This is nothing new and has been the case for quite a while as the Minister is unable to tackle this crisis of national importance. In all probability, the time has come for parents to revisit the school curriculum and make changes. This undoubtedly can no longer be left to the Minister to provide the much-needed change, structure and discipline to proper educate our children. It is dreadful to say that the drop-out rate, especially among male students from the public schools in Guyana is far higher than those of other CARICOM States. Although male students are more at risk to join gangs and committing crimes now than at any time in the history of the country, yet there is no educational policy/program in place to correct and or improve the situation. The under-achievement of our male students is both tragic and pathetic. The Ministry of Education is always in the mode to ignore the problems. It does this at the peril of the students. The Minister has not shown leadership that will foster and develop a culture of problem-solving, instead she spends much of her time bolstering her image at Freedom House and in the media especially after her episode at the US Ambassador’s residence. We called on the Minister to resign for failing to act responsibly and save our students. It is clear that the Minister and the minority PPP regime are at the root of the  CXC high failure rates in 2013 and 2014, the collapse of UG and the President’s College and the dire state of the public schools. Failure to address this now will see us back here in 10 years’ time revisiting this same issue. There will be no future for the youths of Guyana if urgent steps are not taken to rescue our failing public schools. Efforts must be made to strengthen the mechanism of accountability and transparency within the education system. In terms of monitoring the schools, the buck stops with the Minister. Further, there is an abundance of unease and discord brewing below the surface among the Principals and Teachers who do not have confidence in the Minister who puts party politics before education. Her politically divisive management styles undoubtedly, do affect the performance of the schools. The PPP regime must appoint qualified persons of impeccable character and requisite educational background to the school boards and not unqualified PPP apparatchiks. The time to take party politics out of the education system is now. Failure to do so will only worsen the failing school syndrome which is spreading like a cancer throughout the country. There can be no human and sustainable development in Guyana with an education system that is underperforming—a fact the Minister of Education does not understand. In conclusion, we strongly believe that the primary responsibility of the present generation is to fully equip the next generation with the necessary skills set and knowledge to eventually take over the reins of governance in the society. But this will not happen with the present high failure rate in the public schools. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh