EDITORIAL - English, math outcomes victims of incompetence

PATOIS IS our problem. And getting rid of it would automatically eliminate the deficiencies that plague the reading, writing and speaking of English among Jamaicans.

Such is the warped logic of anglophones who are enraged at the years-long dismal performance in English language exams by a significant portion of the Jamaican population. Their knee-jerk response is that we do something - anything!

Meanwhile, the pro-Creole coalition argues that Patois, or Patwa, is not the problem, but the solution. Teaching Jamaican Creole would set the foundation upon which the learning of English, as a second language, would become a seamless transition. Utopia!

This newspaper subscribes to neither view. We believe that the straw men erected by linguistic fundamentalists, of either affiliation, will not substantially alter the proficiency of Jamaican students in English language.

Rather, the Ministry of Education must build the capacity of teachers to effectively and efficiently transmit the fundamentals of language and to provide a creative context which fosters critical learning, beyond regurgitative rote. Bluntly, it's about content and packaging.

Unlike the excuse-mongers who urge Jamaicans not to focus on grades, we insist that a major index of teacher performance must be exam outcomes, regardless of the other stimuli that influence student performance.

And if this and previous years' results in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) are anything to go by, they make a damning verdict on the ability of teachers to help students master the English language. This year, 46.2 per cent of Jamaican students passed CSEC English A, plummeting from 63.9 per cent in 2011. Even if this is an aberration, more than a third of secondary-school students generally do not pass English. And if the nearly 20,000 non-performing students shielded from the exams are factored in, the post-mortem for all subjects would be more painful.

The mathematics out-turns were even worse than English, with less than 32 per cent of students passing muster. It would be myopic to think that the problems start at the secondary level. In the 2011 Grade Four Numeracy Test, only 22,469 students, or 49.2 per cent of those sitting the exam, attained overall mastery. The data show that 21.8 per cent failed to master ANY of the strands.

SOME TEACHERS NOT QUALIFIED

Only 10-16 per cent of mathematics teachers are qualified to teach the subject, failing to master its basic principles. Don't listen to us. Listen to Dr Tamika Benjamin, now the national mathematics coordinator, who revealed, last October, observations from a recent study of local primary-school teachers:

"The results showed that at the end of completing the mathematics course requirements, the student teachers: still had critical conceptual gaps, were not able to make connections within one topic and across topics, and were unable to identify and interpret mathematical errors or identify teaching strategies effective in the teaching of foundation concepts."

We do not believe Jamaican students are, innately, dunces at English and math. Incompetence begets incompetence.

The cycle of failure in English and math can only be broken by enlisting more teachers with the snuff for the stuff. And if teachers want more pay, raising standards and improving exam performance are natural corollaries. If only Clayton Hall, the Jamaica Teachers' Association president, could make that his defining legacy.

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: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.