The introduction of an ambitious programme, aimed at bolstering performances at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, particularly in the area of Mathematics and English, has already started yielding satisfactory results.
At least this is according to Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who revealed that there has been evidence of renewed interest, specifically in the area of Mathematics.
“We are sure that since this intervention (commenced) there has been renewed and certainly more interest in Mathematics across the board among teachers, students and parents.”
The Minister, since taking up her designation in the education sector, has introduced a pilot programme which saw Government furnishing both teachers and students at some 36 schools with relevant teaching/learning materials intended to help improve students’ performances at CSEC. She revealed that it was just recently that a post-CSEC examination was conducted and efforts are still being made to complete the assessment of the results. However, Manickchand noted that while she does not expect the results to be fantastic, “we will certainly be able to get a better gauge of where we are as a country.”
The Minister revealed that at the moment there is no doubt that there has been “a rebuking of the ‘throwing up your hand syndrome’; if for nothing but that then that programme has been a success.”
However, once the results have been completely assessed, it is the belief of the Minister that the Ministry will be in a better position to ascertain to what extent the programme has made a difference. She nonetheless asserted that “I don’t think that we should rely on results alone to say whether it made a real difference, because if you walk around Guyana you will see people talking about Mathematics a lot more; parents are being a lot more interested in what their children are doing.”
A whopping $85.7 M contract was approved in January by Cabinet, for the Ministry of Education, in the quest to help improve the pass rate in the subject areas of Mathematics and English at CSEC.
According to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, the sum is intended to go towards the procurement of items to boost students’ learning. These items included: CXC General Maths Book I and II; the Self-Study Guide for CXC; the collection of revision DVDs; the combined past papers from 2008 to 2011; Model Solutions to difficult answers; and Combined Solutions for everything in addition to a geometry set, graph paper and a scientific calculator. Teachers were each provided with individual syllabuses and a collection of the package so that they will be able to effectively work with each child.
The Minister upon assuming office sought to amplify the need for an urgent improvement in the subject areas of English and Mathematics countrywide. The latter mentioned subject area saw a significant decline, reflected in a below 35 per cent pass rate last year, thus suggesting that there is a need for even more attention, according to the Minister.
Concern for the performance in the subject areas saw the Minister backed by senior education officials in travelling the country to meet with stakeholders ahead of the commencement of the project, which was introduced in December at the target schools. Among the schools participating in the project are Abram Zuil, Anna Regina and Aurora (Region Two); West Demerara, Zeeburg, Patentia, Leonora, Stewartville (Region Three); Annandale, Covent Garden, Bladen Hall, Hope (Region Four); East Ruimveldt, Christ Church, North Georgetown, Central, Brickdam, North Ruimveldt, Richard Ishmael (Georgetown), Bushlot, Mahaicony, Bygeval, Woodley Park Primary Tops (Region Five); J. C. Chandisingh, Tagore Memorial, , New Amsterdam Multilateral, Berbice High, Skeldon Line Path (Region Six); Three Miles (Region Seven), St. Ignatius (Region Nine), MacKenzie High, Christianburg and Silver City (Region 10).
In addition to having trained Mathematics teachers, the schools were chosen based on the fact that their results were good enough in the past two years, and they are therefore deemed to have foundations which can foster the objectives of the ambitious project.
Just over 4,000 students are being targeted, Manickchand noted, even as she explained that the strategic move is expected to see students writing the CSEC examination this year reflecting improved results.
The move, according to her, represents a four-prong partnership, including collaboration between Government, teachers, parents and students. “If we focus on these students a little bit more they are going to be able to pass Mathematics and English,” she confidently asserted.
The Minister revealed that even as efforts are being made to realise improved CSEC performances this year, the Government is working assiduously to achieve universal secondary education.
Already the education sector has been able to realise universal primary education which allows children at the primary age to undertake the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). The NGSA was conducted across the country last week, allowing for some 18,000 students at primary schools countrywide to participate. This assessment is designed to place students into secondary schools, and according to Minister Manickchand, the Ministry is now faced with the challenge of ensuring that the same number of students who participated in this year’s NGSA are registered for CSEC in the next five years.
Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2012/04/08/csec-programme-sparks-%E2%80%98renewed-interest%E2%80%99-in-mathematics/