Disolving educational inequities
published: Sunday | August 24, 2003

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I AM writing to address Mrs. Henry-Wilson's statements as recorded in The Sunday Gleaner on August 17, 2003, regarding the urgent need to dissolve the inequities in the educational system whereby the best performing students who sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) are placed in the supposed "elite" schools. I agree wholeheartedly with the principle of what the minister is proposing but I feel that at some point we need to represent all sides of the story, and not just one.

There would be no problem with "spreading" these high performers across the many high schools in Jamaica, if parents could be assured that their children would receive the same quality of education as well as opportunity for holistic growth and development from ALL secondary institutions. Many might retaliate against this statement but the truth of the matter is that many of our high schools lack adequate resources, effective administration, financial support for needed materials, and in some cases, well-trained or qualified teachers. Why should we be placing ANY student (whether he/she is a high or low performer) in a school with poor lighting conditions, poor ventilation, absentee teachers or principals, and poor administration facilities?

I agree that we need to ensure that our students are not "bunched" because of their high or low performance but in addition to this we also need to ensure that our system itself is not one that is supporting this kind of unequal distribution. No matter the level of achievement, all students across our nation need to be enrolled in an institution that offers them the best. At present this cannot be guaranteed. In fact, it is possible that those labelled as "low achievers" may not be exelling as they should because of the horrible conditions under which they must exist while at school. (There are some schools who are still using a pit latrine and this is 2003!)

The reality is that a number of the schools which are so-called "elite" are bursary-paid schools who cannot afford to depend on the Government to provide what is needed for their student population, or they would not be as "established" as they are perceived to be. We all need to support the elimination of the unequal distribution of high or low achievers in schools but before that can be done the Government needs to have more than the "development plan" spoken of by our minister; it also needs to have the manifestation of this plan. Parents who are doing all they can to find the necessary funds to provide their children with a good education should not have to be choosing "elite" schools for fear that their children will not be able to gain maximum benefits from attending "other" schools. ALL our students are worthy of the best education this nation can provide - rich, poor and in-between.

I am, etc.,

AISHA SPENCER

Educator

zoezimrath@hotmail.com

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