Needed: collaborative education
Published:Tuesday | May 11, 2010 | 12:00 AM
The Editor, Sir:
Various writers to this newspaper describe Jamaica's teachers in a variety of ways, yet several of them ignore the fact that our education system is in shambles. There is a great need for more schools in some regions, which amounts to a shortage of space. In spite of the shortcomings, some students can do more, and the Government needs to take a deeper look at the various problems that are affecting the education sector and address the issues in a sustainable way. A high school, for example, should not be a police station.
On the other hand, some teachers and some principals should be blamed for a variety of student failure. It should be noted that at all levels of learning, there are slow learners, good performers, and the high-achieving students. In several schools across the island, indiscipline among some students and some staff members, school overcrowding, low-performing students, underperforming teachers, and tardy principals do exist. I can imagine that it takes a concerted-effort in order to empower students who are willing to learn and those with learning disabilities.
too complex
Apart from teachers, parents and students, it is the job of a principal (who is also a teacher) to ensure that all students are progressing by rallying a good staff and leading by example. On the contrary, the principal's job is too big and too complex to be done alone.
This task requires the courage to take the risk of letting go of some control, trusting staff members to lead in key areas of decision making, or admitting that they don't know everything (because technology has changed everything) and becoming a learner alongside their staff.
It is unfair to expect teachers alone to shoulder the blame for some students' weak performance because in several learning institutions there are teachers who have given 100 per cent. The Government of Jamaica should take a second look at the variety of problems within the education system and seek solutions, rather than going into battle with the underpaid teachers who do not have adequate resources in order to function effectively in their profession.
I am, etc.,
CHARLIE BROWN
University of Technology