Devon Dick

Today, the Honourable Andrew Holness, Minister of Education, is expected to tell the nation via Parliament, how the GSAT, scores are calculated. This is partly the result of the controversy surrounding the awarding of scholarships based on the GSAT, scores.

According to the Observer, a challenge is being mounted by Dr Ohmar Tun on behalf of her son Win Phyo (WP) against the declared top child James Robertson (JR).

Based on Table 1, with scores excluding communication task, James Robertson did better than Win Phyo. However, based on Table 2, which includes scores for communication task ,Win did better than James.

However, as I said approximately seven years ago and recently again in the article 'GSAT,: Suffering the Little Children' the weight attached to communication task is too much when compared to other subjects. Because when James Robertson dropped one point in communication task he lost 8.33 per cent and so Win Phyo now has a better average.

This is a ridiculous situation because James would have perfect scores in two subjects and drop two per cent in Science and one per cent in social studies and just one point off a perfect score in communication task but would have been inferior to Win, who had three perfect scores and dropped one per cent in maths and dropped all of nine per cent in science.

Way of marking

Both students did outstandingly well. However, the confusion is the result of the Ministry of Education officials' way of marking the GSAT,. Formerly, the scholarship would have been awarded to Win Phyo, based on the weight given to communication task.

Some years ago, I spoke to a Ministry of Education official, who had direct responsibility for the weighting system, and pointed out the flaw in the communication task and she promised it would be changed but alas, it was not changed.

I am afraid that if Dr Tun takes the matter to court she will win because of a flawed system. I pray and hope she does not to take it to court because, based on my calculations, and even by taking an average of the two averages achieved by each boy, James Robertson did better.

Correct claim

However, if the ministry of education has changed the system of calculations, then I am happy, and the public should have been informed otherwise, Dr Tun would have been correct in claiming that her son did better than James.

The problem is communication task and has nothing to do with the weighting of other subjects. Seven years ago I was told that there was a different weight to other subjects. But that is immaterial to the discussion because the percentage scores are given. It is immaterial whether for each correct answer for maths the child gets 1.5 per cent while for social studies each correct answer carries one per cent because in the end, it is out of 100 per cent. The problem has to do with communication task. It is the shortest examination, yet still if someone drops only one point then it amounts to dropping over eight per cent.

A way forward is to mark and give the score as a percentage. But better yet would be to treat communication task similar to Use of English at UWI and score it as a pass or fail. Scoring it as a pass or fail would make it easier to calculate the percentage scores, remove subjectivity from marking and the unfair weighting given to communication task.

Rev Devon Dick is pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church and author 'Rebellion to Riot: the Church in Nation Building'. For feedback, columns@gleanerjm.com.