Damion Mitchell and Dionne Rose, Staff Reporters
REID
RUEL REID, incoming president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), has defended teachers against charges of underperformance while blaming administrators for deficiencies in the education system.
On the weekend, Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies claimed that some schools in his South St. Andrew constituency have had disappointing examination results. He said that teachers must accept the blame for these disappointing results.
But according to Mr. Reid, the management of the education system must be held responsible for the failures in the system where they exist.
MORE ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDED
"... You have the school board that should oversee the principal and the principal the teachers. You have a (school) board (and) you have a regional office, those persons should be held accountable," the JTA president argued.
Mr. Reid also gave failing grades to the Education Ministry in certain areas for the year 2004/2005 academic year.
"It can't be just the teachers that are being evaluated, without the other support systems being evaluated. The best I can give the ministry is about a 20 per cent performance in terms of technology in schools," he said.
FAILING GRADES FOR MINISTRY
In terms of human resource development, ongoing training and development,
and empowerment of teachers, he rated the ministry 30 per cent.
On the issue of safety and security in schools, Mr. Reid gave the ministry a 30 per cent rating.
"When you look at the fact that the Task Force speaks to the fact that 50 per cent of students require remediation and yet we are still at 1 to 35 ratio ... the Ministry of Education needs to perform, they are woefully lacking," he said.
He also maintained that significant work needs to be done at the early childhood and primary levels to improve the education system.
In the meantime, the Professional Development Unit of the Education Ministry in collaboration with the JTA has completed the pilot of new performance evaluation system.
The system is to be implemented in all public schools in September 2005.
