things remain the same in Jamaican primary education

[Wahalla]

things remain the same...

I know this wont be a popular topic it does not involve blonds or blaming other people nor is it about success!

One of the most influential talks i had when i was a child about the state of Jamaica social status was given to me by what would be disparagingly called a ******* or Oyibo. It had some serious analysis that was to me the first time i became aware of class..... I was not yet 12 yet I remember it because i think that was the first time i had heard truth..

I had a conversation with a good friend of mine this week who also was in that cohort, on this talk.....We had just been misled by a number of school officals that we trying to help some children..

We had been at the school for two weeks it was a Tuesday, we had just pass the common entrance.. talk about running inot a cold reality or adulthood!

What I recalled was that at the CEE:

Children from the rural communities did worse than children from urban centers
Children from the middle class did better than poor children
Girls did better than boys
Children from private schools did better than children who were from
and that the numbers showed that boarders would do better than day boys!

My friend recalled that the man said that it was an opportunity...

Me I thought i was buggered for life and the man was right.... rural, poor, male and public schooled dayboy!

and here we are multiple decades later and the latest CEE, sorry GSAT results demonstrate exactly the same thing!


I had a look at the analysis and not sure what the maximum points are.....I thought 400 before i read the page 1 for explanation but max i think is 410... the average result for Jamaica is 258, the two i attended both have a score 248... I dont care how this is spun this performance is abysmal....

I also note that I am certain from my local knowledge that the cohorts from one or two schools submitted was doctored...look up ur primary school....

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/top-schools/

[Wahalla]

well never popular....but why do we need a Jamaleque organisation after forty years ?

but Espuet says most of what i say....


Blame 'The System' - Accident Of Birth, Education Access Determinants Of Life's Chances

Published: Friday | February 21, 20141 Comment



Peter Espeut




By Peter Espeut
Jamaica is one of the most unequal countries in the world. A recent World Bank Report ranked Jamaica 114th out of 156 countries in the world in terms of income inequality (Gini coefficient). Only 42 countries in the ranking had a larger gap between the rich and the poor than Jamaica. We were better than Haiti, South Sudan, Mozambique and Rwanda; and were more unequal than Guyana, Ghana, India, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Is this a scandal of the highest proportions, indicating a sick society with social institutions which reproduce deep inequality in each successive generation? Or is it that most Jamaicans are genetically deficient, more interested in play rather than work, and committed to immediate gratification rather than to pursuing medium- to long-term goals requiring some sacrifice and self-denial?
There is evidence, I suppose, supporting both options, and people will prefer the one which supports their ideology: they will either blame 'the system' or blame 'the victim'.
Whether a Jamaican child grows up to be poor or otherwise has a lot to do with accident of birth. If a child is born to better-off parents, the chances are they will end up middle class or better; their parents will be able to afford to send them to kindergarten and then private preparatory school, which will allow them to pass GSAT for a 'traditional' high school, and thereafter to sixth form and university, which will open the door to a higher-paying job.
born poor
If, on the other hand, a child is born to poor parents, chances are he will grow up to be poor; his parents might send him to basic school or infant school, after which he'll spend six years in a primary school and just might learn to read; but chances are he will end up in the upper grades of an all-age school or a junior high school, or he might go to an 'upgraded' high school. Chances are he will leave secondary school with no CXC subjects, and be suited only for a low-paying job.
Maybe such children will get a second chance through JAMAL (now called the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning) or through evening classes, but one's life chances are all but determined by the accident of their birth and the type of education to which they had access.
This is because Jamaica operates two different education systems, and the main difference is in their quality. Generally speaking, the private-run system is far superior, preparing children to excel at examinations conducted in standard English, and providing a more rounded extra-curricular programme.
The government-run education system is far inferior. A recent Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson survey found that, of 1,022 institutions that prepared students for GSAT last school year, only four government schools were in the top 100 - the best ranking 49. Put another way, of the top 100 GSAT institutions last year, 96 were private prep schools.
Social mobility - the possibility of moving from a government primary school to a 'traditional' high school - is definitely possible. But when it gets to CXC time, the students who came from prep schools will far outperform those who attended primary schools. It would seem, therefore, that 'the system' is more to blame than 'the victims'.
durable rates
Rates of poverty and illiteracy have been durable from colonialism to Independence and 52 years beyond because there has been little success in reforming Jamaica's education system. Too little effort has been made by successive governments, and too much resistance to change has been mounted by the teachers' union and the middle class.
An economy based on agriculture and manufacturing needs a large, unskilled or lightly skilled labour force; middle-class Jamaica depends upon cheap household and yard labour - strong on domestic skills and weak on academics. Now that Jamaica's economy has shifted to rely more upon services, which require a more highly skilled and technology-savvy labour force, there is a big mismatch, which is why we have to import so much skilled labour from overseas.
Authentic economic and social development for Jamaica means reduction in inequality of Jamaicans through quality education. The ministry of national development is really the education ministry.
Tomorrow, a stalwart of Jamaican secondary education, Sr Bernadette Little, RSM, CD - will be buried. This black Jamaican woman of rural origins who rose to be at the helm of Alpha Academy proves that Jamaican education - in both academics and personal values - can be made second to none in the world.
She never lost her spark. At almost 90 years old, she was still able to assist me by translating Latin documents into English. Ad Multos Annos, Sr Bernadette!
Peter Espeut is a rural development sociologist. Email feedback to [email protected].

[blugiant]

so y didd yuh xxpekk ting fe change wen da system is designed fe maintain da status quo?

[Wahalla]

I expect teachers to want to improve their performance....

[blugiant]

I expect teachers to want to improve their performance....

y blame da teachers wen da babylon miseducation system need fe change?

mii chaa bout da qualitee aff sum aff da yaawd teachers dat came upp ear ann mii was dissapinted iff dem were sum aff da best.

mii see sum yaawd yuths cum upp ear so back educationallee butt peeps waan fe focus on da few woo doinn reallee well instead aff da majaritee

joke tings a gawn ann fii blame miseducators iss misguided cah dem fallawinn da guidelines

da onlee reason dem leff mii alone iss dat mii gott better result by doinn mii own ting ann mii doan care cah addar oyinbo educators ave affers out ann dem kno

[Wahalla]

y blame da teachers wen da babylon miseducation system need fe change?

mii chaa bout da qualitee aff sum aff da yaawd teachers dat came upp ear ann mii was dissapinted iff dem were sum aff da best.

mii see sum yaawd yuths cum upp ear so back educationallee butt peeps waan fe focus on da few woo doinn reallee well instead aff da majaritee

joke tings a gawn ann fii blame miseducators iss misguided cah dem fallawinn da guidelines

da onlee reason dem leff mii alone iss dat mii gott better result by doinn mii own ting ann mii doan care cah addar oyinbo educators ave affers out ann dem kno

if a school consistantly under performs... and does the same thing over and over again to obtain the same result then that is whos fault...Jamaica conistentently educations the creme de la creme and leaves the rest unfulfilled and every attempt to make changes to the sytem the JTA opposes.....there is a culture of entitlement among teachers....

again i have no care for the yanki educational systemic failures......

[Wahalla]

the same again...yep all jamaican pickni get the gift to go to a high school......not all take the test even.....these are the students who will be running the Goat island if it comes off..... in ten years time they will be the ones at the begining of their careers having just finished tertiary education......I would wish them luck but the same battles of inadequate education awaits most who go through the system, and those who succed it will be is spite of all the obstacles....


KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites is urging parents, teachers and school administrators to be calm and encourage students to do their best as the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) nears.
The examination, which will be held on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 in schools across the island, will see some 42,000 students sitting.
“Let’s take some of the anguish out of GSAT for the teachers, parents and students and let us encourage them to study and think clearly and to do their very best… Don’t be nervous, the exam isn’t going to be that hard,” said Thwaites.
“The usual level of preparedness is being observed and children are revising and reviewing, hopefully not memorizing too much, hopefully (they) will go into the examination calm and with the assurance that unlike many other countries … they will all likely find a place in a high school, that’s a wonderful gift that Jamaica gives to its students,” he added.
The GSAT is Jamaica’s national high school entrance examination in which students sit five subject areas — English, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Communication Task.



KINGSTON, Jamaica — 42,000 students will be sitting the examination Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in two weeks and according to the Ministry of Education preparations are at an advanced stage of readiness for this year’s sitting.
The examination will be held on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 in all primary schools and most preparatory schools across the island.
The Grade Six Achievement Test is the country’s national high school entrance examination. Students undertake five subjects including English, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Communication Task for entry into High Schools of their choice at Grade 7.

[blugiant]

if a school consistantly under performs... and does the same thing over and over again to obtain the same result then that is whos fault...Jamaica conistentently educations the creme de la creme and leaves the rest unfulfilled and every attempt to make changes to the sytem the JTA opposes.....there is a culture of entitlement among teachers....

again i have no care for the yanki educational systemic failures......

nuh da same ting evereewear. iff yuh ignore da realitee aff addar educational system yuh gitt a distorted view aff ja

look att merikka, oyinbo yuths ar among da moas educated inn da wurld butt blakk ann latino yuths ar miseducated.

same ting widd ja a moaslee blakk countree

[blugiant]

the same again...yep all jamaican pickni get the gift to go to a high school......not all take the test even.....these are the students who will be running the Goat island if it comes off..... in ten years time they will be the ones at the begining of their careers having just finished tertiary education......I would wish them luck but the same battles of inadequate education awaits most who go through the system, and those who succed it will be is spite of all the obstacles....


KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites is urging parents, teachers and school administrators to be calm and encourage students to do their best as the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) nears.
The examination, which will be held on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 in schools across the island, will see some 42,000 students sitting.
“Let’s take some of the anguish out of GSAT for the teachers, parents and students and let us encourage them to study and think clearly and to do their very best… Don’t be nervous, the exam isn’t going to be that hard,” said Thwaites.
“The usual level of preparedness is being observed and children are revising and reviewing, hopefully not memorizing too much, hopefully (they) will go into the examination calm and with the assurance that unlike many other countries … they will all likely find a place in a high school, that’s a wonderful gift that Jamaica gives to its students,” he added.
The GSAT is Jamaica’s national high school entrance examination in which students sit five subject areas — English, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Communication Task.



KINGSTON, Jamaica — 42,000 students will be sitting the examination Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in two weeks and according to the Ministry of Education preparations are at an advanced stage of readiness for this year’s sitting.
The examination will be held on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 in all primary schools and most preparatory schools across the island.
The Grade Six Achievement Test is the country’s national high school entrance examination. Students undertake five subjects including English, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Communication Task for entry into High Schools of their choice at Grade 7.

jamaican parents need fe challenge da fairness aff da test being use to create a miseducation caste system

tests ar part aff de prablem

[Wahalla]

jamaican parents need fe challenge da fairness aff da test being use to create a miseducation caste system

tests ar part aff de prablem

The GSAT was created as an assessment, to replace the CEE which was a winnowing process...GSAT now serves the same function....

the alternative is simply to do away with the use of GSAT as a placement protcol and place students in terms of geographic location irrespective of their skills....

[CeaBee]

the alternative is simply to do away with the use of GSAT as a placement protcol and place students in terms of geographic location irrespective of their skills...

but then you have the higher performing students and the lower performing mixed together. Does the teacher stay at the same pace for all students? Are the more advanced students bored and not reaching their full potential, when the teacher goes back over the same material because the other students don't understand. Or does the teacher keep the same pace and the lower performing students just fall further behind?

i was thinking about this...to my knowledge Jamaica doesn't have a "gifted program" ...the only solution is to skip a grade....the child may not perform at a level that he/she can do this, however they may learn and retain material at a higher level than other children.

[Wahalla]

but then you have the higher performing students and the lower performing mixed together. Does the teacher stay at the same pace for all students? Are the more advanced students bored and not reaching their full potential, when the teacher goes back over the same material because the other students don't understand. Or does the teacher keep the same pace and the lower performing students just fall further behind?

i was thinking about this...to my knowledge Jamaica doesn't have a "gifted program" ...the only solution is to skip a grade....the child may not perform at a level that he/she can do this, however they may learn and retain material at a higher level than other children.

all Jamaicans are gifted....compared the rest of the planet.....it is not ability that is lacking is teaching is less than adequate, (14 % of maths teachers qualified to teach that subject to CXC level, a comment that only traditional high schools teach science was made and not denied by the minister) mix ability classes is standard in the developed world ... every one talks of the finnish model that is a mixed ability which is ireelevant....

By basing it on georgraphy rather than ability it will denature the top schools social status and ability will in the end rise to the top...not only would geography for placement but budgets would be based on per student basis rather than on a per school.. After all the minister says we Jamaicans are lucky that all 12 year olds are placed in High Schools.... the sad truth would be that there would arise a

i would also drop the inter school sports competitions.. sports has to given lower priority.. a friend of mine volunteered as a chemistry teacher for CAPE at one of the top girls schools. (his daughter was in the class no chemistry teacher) .. He needed test chemicals for his a level exam, he was given out of date incorrect chemicals, but the school could afford to send a girls soccer team to norway....I have heard similar stories from other teachers from other institutions..

I am sorry as big a fan of champs dcup manning cup as i am it is now out of hand.....We have a student win a silver medal age 19 but is in a year for 16 year old and there is a whole number of students like that...There is a whole cultural acceptance that schools are effective sports clubs.

42000 students do G sat, but how many 11 years olds that dont ????

GSAT was planned as an assesment not a streaming exam.. what we have is 11 year olds studying for an exam... pressure on them to attain an assesment that will determine their life chances...

if we want the top ten percent trained then go back to the original entrance exam model and tell the truth that all jamaicans know education is rationed... and there are a few centers of excelence to which a marginal number of students go

u get a better deal if your paretns are married, you live in an urban center, you are female and your parents have a skilled job.....

[Wahalla]

I think this guy is on point... the use of schools as sports clubs rather than education...

a friend of mine and i was trying to help a few young ones and we discovered that the school had them in based on their sports potential rather than on their academic ability and lied to us about it....

dont get me wrong i thinks sports in school is fine but we have gone too far with the intraschool competitive sports
Let's spot the money in world sports


Dr Lascelve GRAHAM
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 1 comment

Let’s spot the money in world sports
PEOPLE speak ever so glibly about the multibillion-dollar sports industry, especially in an attempt to rationalise our high schools recruiting youngsters based on their sports ability. But what do we know about this global sports industry and how is it structured? What do we know about the jobs generated by this industry or the revenues that make it a multibillion-sollar enterprise?
Estimates of the size of the global sports industry vary, ranging from about US$500 billion. This includes infrastructure construction, sporting goods, licensed products, live sports events and their spin-offs. The worldwide sports events market was worth about $64 billion. Football (soccer) is by far the greatest revenue puller bringing in at least $28 billion yearly, almost as much as the combined $32 billion for all US sports — Formula 1 racing, golf and tennis — according to A T Kearney, a global management consulting firm. In Europe alone football is a $22-billion business.
The size of the sports market in the USA is estimated at $422 billion, with employment being nearly three million people. As of 2012, there were estimated to be 12,660 professional athletes (~0.4%) employed in the USA; 193,810 coaches and scouts; 15,630 umpires, referees and officials; 489,200 in fitness centres; 39,700 in snow skiing facilities; 68,300 in bowling centres; 342,300 at county clubs or golf courses; approximately 1,500,000 work in the recreation and amusement sectors; 45,000 in the wholesale trade of sporting goods; and 245,800 in retail sporting good stores.
In a recent article (21/1/14) by economics correspondent Sean Whelan titled, 'Games take bronze in battle for sport industry's value', the conclusion is that the money generated by sporting events is only a small part of the overall industry. He pointed out that a recent study on the economic impact of sports by the European Commission disclosed that the least economically important part of the sports industry is... sports. When it comes to hard cash, it's the upstream industries that generate the most — US$188 billion by the commission's estimate. Next are the downstream activities — worth an estimated US$148 billion. That leaves just US$68 billion for the bit in the middle of the chain — the "sport" bit.
It's the same in the distribution of jobs with upstream activities employing 2.5 million, downstream activities employing 1.3 million, and your actual sport employing just 700,000. According to Whelan, "that dream job as a top striker for Barcelona will be as elusive as ever — the jobs growth is more likely to be in hawking sneakers or DVDs".
The European Commission believes that the sports industry, in its broadest sense, contributes about US$404 billion per year, and it employs around 2.1 per cent of the European workforce (~4,500,000 people).
They calculate that every job in the "sports supply chain" generates 0.65 new jobs in related industries outside the supply chain. So they conclude that the total employment generated by sports activities is 7,300,000 or 3.5 per cent of the EU total employment. The sports supply chain includes the clubs and teams, the stadiums and sports facilities, and the activities, like skiing, cycling etc. It also includes "upstream activities" eg industries producing goods and services needed for sport like shoes and clothing, timing devices, horse breeding, education, etc. "Downstream activities" incorporate industries that use sport as an important input, such as TV broadcasting, betting, hotels and restaurants, vets, diet supplements, health services, etc.
Sports tourism is set for fair growth, according to the commission six per cent a year for the next few years. The commission also emphasises the important role sport plays in driving innovation in other industries. Some of this is driven by the desire to get better results from athletes, to influence consumer buying and to improve spectator experience. Sports technology is now a leader in several fields of applied science: textile technology, mechanics of human motion, new materials, sensors, actuators and human-oriented design.
Whatever the financial value placed on the sports industry, one thing is very clear, the jobs for professional athletes are exceedingly limited. Few will be able to sustain themselves as professional athletes and we are doing our youngsters a disservice by enticing so many of them with the carrot of athletic professionalism.
Recruiting for sports purposes by our high schools is a most myopic vision and not in the best interest of our youth. Let us stop it now! Let us use our schools as they should be. There are more efficient ways to nurture sports talent. High school recruiting for sports is not an efficient economic use of resources in organising the sports supply chain. If we are serious about tapping into the multibillion-dollar sports industry in a meaningful way, let us use our schools to supply adequately socialised entrepreneurs, scientists, computer experts and other skilled workers who can add value to our world-class pool of sports talent by way of various upstream and downstream activities in the sports supply chain. We will still produce our world beaters in sports. This would also fit neatly and seamlessly into our vision for a logistics hub. This is where the jobs and money are!
Dr Lascelve "Muggy" Graham is a former Jamaica football captain.

[Wahalla]

Ah student athlete not an athlete student..


Brains on Track


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Stephanie Barrett — Rusea’s High School’s middle-distance runner
Stephanie Barrett — Rusea's High School's middle-distance runner
When did you start track and field?
I started at Mt Ward Primary, but unfortunately I did not get to attend the all-island championships then at Frome Technical in 2007, as I ran the cross-country for sports day and won.
Who are your local and international track and field idols?
My local idol would be (former Manchester High star) Natoya Goule, and my international idol would be (Ethiopian) Tirunesh Dibaba. They have good strategies how to win long-distance races.
How do you rate your school's chances in this year's Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships?
I expect us to be a top 10 school this year. We have been working hard and we have the frame of mind to go into the competition and do well.
Which school do you fear the most and why?
Edwin Allen High. They have the quality and so far this season they have been performing well and the talent... basically it is just their frame of mind.
How important is it for a student/athlete to have a solid education?
Without education you can't get anywhere, so you can have talent and still not get anywhere, but once you have the subjects, it makes sense.
What are your educational achievements to date?
Six CXC passes and Four CAPEs and doing four more CAPEs and Four more CXCs.
What is your ultimate life ambition?
Still trying to decide between becoming a marine biologist and a career in economics.
Who has had the biggest impact on your life thus far?
My mother Hazel Nesbeth and coach Roderick Myles.

[Wahalla]

Today ah deh dey fi 120000 Jamaicans

40000 pickni an both dem parents...'


I cant wish them luck... because some are going to be placed in schools with terrible performance, terrible teaching and their life chances will be deminished..Hell of a thing that when u think that what a child does at 11 has a life tiem impact.. i was reminded of the costs that the parents have to pay yeaterday even if they are successful..
Predistribution... I feel it fi deh parents...especially for the parents of boys who are less acedemically "attuned" at this age...

this may not be a popular topic but what happens today will impact our country in twenty thirty years time when this cohort will be at their most productive...
More than 40,000 sit GSAT today

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Students at Half-Way-Tree Primary in St Andrew write a paper in the 2012 sitting of the Grade Six Achievement Test. (OBSERVER FILE PHOTO)
MORE than 40,000 primary school students will today write the first papers of the two-day Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) for placement in secondary schools come September.
According to the Ministry of Education, a total of 40,676 students have been confirmed to sit the tests with the majority of the candidates (21,120) being female.
Additionally, the ministry has confirmed that 4,457 registered and eligible students have deferred sitting the tests.
The GSAT tests children in five areas — mathematics, social studies, language arts, science, and communication tasks.
The students will write the papers for mathematics and social studies today, and the remaining three papers tomorrow.
As is customary, schools that have been deemed examination centres will be closed to all other students for the two days "to minimise distractions to those students sitting the test".
Over the years the tests have caused anxiety among students and parents alike over the possibility that the students might not be placed at their schools of choice — mostly traditional institutions. As part of the registration process, students are normally asked to indicate their five preferred schools. However, there have been many cases where students are not placed in their schools of choice.
Last week, the education ministry encouraged the students to remain focused and follow the instructions given while advising parents to remain calm and "support, rather than pressure the students."