Commentary

Tracer study needed

I was just listening to the news concerning the press conference held by Minister of Education Andrew Holness in which he sought to give an explanation for the placement of students who sat the GSAT examination.

I was pleasantly surprised by the revelation that so many of the students performed excellently, receiving average scores of between 80 per cent and above.

This has created a placement problem, in that the majority of these students could not be accommodated at the schools of their choice (traditional high schools). The minister gave the capacity grade-seven enrolment figures for the top 20 high schools, and pointed out that more than 50 per cent of the students whose GSAT scores would qualify them to gain a place in those schools could not be accommodated.

I have two concerns about this situation:

1) Some years ago when the government abolished the Common Entrance Examination, we were told that this would eliminate the problem of placement of students at the secondary level. Despite the upgrading of some schools to bring them on par with traditional high schools, parents and students continue to shun the upgraded schools. Why is this so?

2) If, as the minister pointed out, and as evidenced by the results from the GSAT, most students at the primary level are performing excellently, why are we not seeing similar results five years later when these same students sit the CSEC? Has the Ministry of Education carried out a tracer study to determine the reasons for this disparity?

The results from such a survey could give us the answers to several questions, among them social and economic needs/background of students, teacher performance, condition of schools/physical plant, among others, which all have an impact on student performance.

Vilma Morgan

vilma_morgan99@hotmail.com

Kingston 10

Kudos and a misquote

Kudos to Kevin Chang for his article 'Stand firm Bruce ... ' (The Sunday Gleaner, June 20) for saying what many Jamaicans at home and abroad are thinking at this time.

However, his Shakespearean quote, "a tide in the affairs of men", is not the only one Prime Minister Bruce Golding should have foremost in his thoughts as he seeks to govern in these difficult times. How about this (mis)quote from the Bard of Avon: " First we ignore all the lawyers!"

Errol W.A. Townshend

ewat@rogers.com

Ontario, Canada