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I never understood the need for ceremonies.. So graduation ceremonies are something i dont get.... U done the work passed the exam is that satisfaction not enough ???
Even as a parent I cannot think myself ever going to watch a child graduate or receive a certificate..I get great pleasure in listening to my children bring discourse on on various subjects that I could not do till ten years latter than them. I know they are being educated and growing in intellectual statute.....I can state that I have never technically graduated given I have never attended one, nor have I bought a graduation ring or worn a mortar board...I always think pictures on the wall of homes with smiling recipient in an archaic gown and mortar board as self indulgent narcissism...
This was always an aspect of Jamaican culture I never understood, to get some grey hair air head usually of some christian bent spout truism and cliches for 20 minutes or so...disguising it as sage philosophy or advise.....I know I have hit out onthis waste of energy before so I am ghappy this has come up this time again... But why do parents have to put up with this expense....? I think the Gleaner got this spot on and Thwaites is right
EDITORIAL - Graduating From What?
Published: Tuesday | July 9, 201319 Comments
It is not only the election of Doran Dixon to a second stint as president of the teachers' union. Other evidence abounds of how we have this education thing upside down; that there is a premium on form over outcomes.
This past Sunday, for instance, this newspaper highlighted an expanding ritual in Jamaica's schools, which might be funny but for its expense and the economic pressure it places on parents.
And at a closer look, it is downright embarrassing. Or, it ought to be to sensible people.
We refer to what the schools call 'graduation exercises', at which even children, at the early childhood or pre-primary level get to wear gowns and mortarboards and are awarded certificates.
There are several things wrong with this programme, not least that it is farcical.
As Ronald Thwaites, the education minister, noted in his review of the education system last month, nearly a third of the children who move from early-childhood institutions to primary schools are not ready for their grade of learning.
ESCALATOR OF FAILURE
"They are on an escalator of failure from six years old unless something is done," Mr Thwaites remarked.
Stimulating children for learning ought to be the concentration of our schools at this level, rather than preoccupation with 'graduations', a concept that children at that age will hardly grasp.
Indeed, Mr Thwaites' "escalator of failure" is obvious at grade four where more than 40 per cent of students are still not appropriately literate or numerate.
At grade six, around a third of the children still grapple with illiteracy. A fifth of the students leave school - all-age and junior high - at grade nine.
They, too, graduate. But from what and with what?
By grade 11, at the time for the CXC secondary-school exams, around 30 per cent of the cohort is already out of school. Of those who remain, only 50 per cent sit five CXC subjects, including math and English, at one go. Less than 70 per cent who do the exams receive a passing grade in English; the rate for math is under 40 per cent.
STRAIN ON PARENTS
This is the education backdrop against which these graduation ceremonies are held. They are not cheap. Parents like Keisha Thompson, for example, are placed under strain to find substantial amounts of money to pay for their children's participation.
In Ms Thompson's case, the bill was $7,000 for her child's passing out from a primary school. At the same time, Ms Thompson was finding another $10,000 to prepare for her child's entry into a secondary school in September. Another parent reported paying a similar amount for her child's 'graduation' from an early-childhood institution.
We at this newspaper do not perceive ourselves to be Grinches who begrudge parents the privilege of seeing their children decked in the symbols of educational achievement. But we do not believe that the appropriate time, or place, for such exercises should be at the end of preschool or primary education.
Graduation is a serious matter that should be related to a mature point in a student's education life and based on specific and tested achievements. Parents of toddlers and very young children should not be burdened with the costs of mortarboards and gowns.
The education ministry should set clear guidelines on this.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: [email protected] or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
Even as a parent I cannot think myself ever going to watch a child graduate or receive a certificate..I get great pleasure in listening to my children bring discourse on on various subjects that I could not do till ten years latter than them. I know they are being educated and growing in intellectual statute.....I can state that I have never technically graduated given I have never attended one, nor have I bought a graduation ring or worn a mortar board...I always think pictures on the wall of homes with smiling recipient in an archaic gown and mortar board as self indulgent narcissism...
This was always an aspect of Jamaican culture I never understood, to get some grey hair air head usually of some christian bent spout truism and cliches for 20 minutes or so...disguising it as sage philosophy or advise.....I know I have hit out onthis waste of energy before so I am ghappy this has come up this time again... But why do parents have to put up with this expense....? I think the Gleaner got this spot on and Thwaites is right
EDITORIAL - Graduating From What?
Published: Tuesday | July 9, 201319 Comments
It is not only the election of Doran Dixon to a second stint as president of the teachers' union. Other evidence abounds of how we have this education thing upside down; that there is a premium on form over outcomes.
This past Sunday, for instance, this newspaper highlighted an expanding ritual in Jamaica's schools, which might be funny but for its expense and the economic pressure it places on parents.
And at a closer look, it is downright embarrassing. Or, it ought to be to sensible people.
We refer to what the schools call 'graduation exercises', at which even children, at the early childhood or pre-primary level get to wear gowns and mortarboards and are awarded certificates.
There are several things wrong with this programme, not least that it is farcical.
As Ronald Thwaites, the education minister, noted in his review of the education system last month, nearly a third of the children who move from early-childhood institutions to primary schools are not ready for their grade of learning.
ESCALATOR OF FAILURE
"They are on an escalator of failure from six years old unless something is done," Mr Thwaites remarked.
Stimulating children for learning ought to be the concentration of our schools at this level, rather than preoccupation with 'graduations', a concept that children at that age will hardly grasp.
Indeed, Mr Thwaites' "escalator of failure" is obvious at grade four where more than 40 per cent of students are still not appropriately literate or numerate.
At grade six, around a third of the children still grapple with illiteracy. A fifth of the students leave school - all-age and junior high - at grade nine.
They, too, graduate. But from what and with what?
By grade 11, at the time for the CXC secondary-school exams, around 30 per cent of the cohort is already out of school. Of those who remain, only 50 per cent sit five CXC subjects, including math and English, at one go. Less than 70 per cent who do the exams receive a passing grade in English; the rate for math is under 40 per cent.
STRAIN ON PARENTS
This is the education backdrop against which these graduation ceremonies are held. They are not cheap. Parents like Keisha Thompson, for example, are placed under strain to find substantial amounts of money to pay for their children's participation.
In Ms Thompson's case, the bill was $7,000 for her child's passing out from a primary school. At the same time, Ms Thompson was finding another $10,000 to prepare for her child's entry into a secondary school in September. Another parent reported paying a similar amount for her child's 'graduation' from an early-childhood institution.
We at this newspaper do not perceive ourselves to be Grinches who begrudge parents the privilege of seeing their children decked in the symbols of educational achievement. But we do not believe that the appropriate time, or place, for such exercises should be at the end of preschool or primary education.
Graduation is a serious matter that should be related to a mature point in a student's education life and based on specific and tested achievements. Parents of toddlers and very young children should not be burdened with the costs of mortarboards and gowns.
The education ministry should set clear guidelines on this.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: [email protected] or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
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