Schools under probe - For forcing students to sit CSEC exams privately
Published:Sunday | June 19, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter
The Ministry of Education has ordered an islandwide probe to determine how many high schools are forcing students to sit Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams privately if they are not recommended by teachers to sit a certain number of subjects.
The investigation was sparked by a Sunday Gleaner report recently, which revealed that Grade 11 students at the Convent of Mercy (Alpha) Academy were prohibited from sitting the regional exams as a part of the school's cohort if they are not recommended to sit at least five subjects.
Kenneth Radcliffe, deputy chief education officer for schools' operations, told The Sunday Gleaner that the ministry's regional directors have been asked to do the survey. He said the regional directors should report their findings to the head office within "a week or two".
The Sunday Gleaner understands that several traditional high schools have policies that mirror Alpha Academy's five-subject requirement.
Audrey Sewell, permanent secretary in the education ministry, told our news team that the investigation was launched to ascertain how many schools have a similar policy before the ministry issues a formal directive to the schools instructing them to desist.
The permanent secretary was concerned that the exclusionary policy could prevent students from benefiting from a government-sponsored incentive to bankroll the cost of four subjects - mathematics, English, information technology and a science subject - for students who meet certain criteria. "They won't get the benefit if they sit the subjects elsewhere," she stressed.
poor-performing students
However, Sidney Reid, vice-principal for upper school at Alpha said there is nothing wrong with the school's longstanding policy position that is geared towards maintaining Alpha's standards.
However, the education ministry does not agree that Alpha's policy. "Our position is that we don't support that policy. It is exclusionary and we can't have schools going off and making their own policies, some of which are contrary to the general direction of the ministry," Sewell added.