Errol Johnson - on a mission to help transform Islington High School
Published:Saturday | February 15, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Orantes Moore, Gleaner Writer
Award-winning high school principal, Errol Johnson, is a man on a mission to help develop St Mary. As the former principal of what is widely acknowledged as the best secondary school in the parish, Johnson is credited with transforming St Mary High from a struggling institution into one of the top-10 schools in the country.
Having successfully steered St Mary High for the past 23 years, the 61-year-old educator recently took up a new post as head teacher at another of the parish's failing schools, Islington High.
He told Rural Xpress: "I've been at Islington High since January 1. At first, I was a bit sceptical about coming here but found staff who are motivated towards achieving and a student body that is eager to learn and be moulded in the right frame."
According to the most recent list of Jamaican high school rankings, which measures the percentage of grade 11 students who attained at least five exam passes (including English and or math), Islington High is the poorest-performing school in St Mary and one of the worst in the country.
Johnson, however, believes the list, published by education think tank Educate Jamaica, fails to acknowledge the progress students make throughout the year and is therefore flawed and counterproductive.
He explained: "You have to understand: Those statistics represent a picture taken at a certain time. The math exam reflects how a child performs at a certain time in their life. So we could have a very good student who goes into the math exam and fails, but yet we are judged on that two-hour exam.
Disagree with statistics
He continued: "At Islington High, we get children here who are virtually unable to read or write. What if we are able to move that child from being a slow to an average reader?
"I don't agree with the statistics, but I do agree that we are not catering fully to the needs of the children, and this is because of the stereotyping of our education system. The one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work because the children are coming from different homes, communities, etc.
"It shouldn't be about capturing the performance of a child at a specific time. What needs to be measured is: where was the child when he or she came here, and where is that child now?"
An educator of Johnson's calibre could have gained employment almost anywhere in the world, so why did he choose to work in St Mary?
"It's the parish of my birth; where my family is based; and the place my forefathers made their sojourn to," he explained.
"I'm a Hindu and my religion does not lend itself to chasing things of material value, but rather to helping people develop into perfect human beings - if there is such a person.
"When I came here, I was surrounded by stalwarts such as the custos at the time, Chester Touzalin; principal of St Mary High, Edgar Cargill; the honourable Member of Parliament Horace Clarke; and leading lawyers Colonel Hurley Whitehorne and Sydney Phillips.
"I think my religion and the mentorship I got from these people, and my father, of course, caused me to be committed to St Mary."
In an effort to better prepare graduates for the workplace, Islington High offers courses in vocational subjects such as cosmetology, welding, auto mechanics, carpentry, and construction, and special reading programmes for slow learners.
However, Johnson is pushing for additional resources to help his students and the community. He said: "My dream is for the Ministry of Education to give me a building to house the technical and vocational wing of this school.
"In the day, the building would be used to teach industrial arts, home economics, and agriculture, and in the evenings, it could be used by the community.
"This would help to develop a community that is confident and available for the world of work. If my wish comes true, Islington will become a leading light in community development throughout this parish and the country."