Peter Espeut | Compulsory sixth form – Declaration of war or profound disrespect?

There would be few who would disagree that Jamaica’s education system is in urgent need of reform. The evidence is clear:

• A 2015 study in Westmoreland by the Early Childhood Commission identified 43 per cent of children in basic/infant schools with at least one problem that could impact their readiness for primary school (in other words, only 57 per cent were really ready for grade one).

• In 2020 at the grade six level, the bulk of students received a total score of 50 per cent or below in all subject areas; after six years of primary school less than half the students were ready for secondary school.

• In 2019 only 43.6 per cent of Jamaican students taking the exam (many did not take it) were able to pass at least five subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) after five years of high school. Each year about 25 per cent of secondary students leave school without any certification at all; sadly, many of these young Jamaicans are reading well below primary-school level.

After 19 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, this situation is undoubtedly much worse, with an accumulated deficit of literacy, human formation in values and discipline, and loss of the habit of learning. At this historically low point, what is the best strategy to take us out of this crisis?

The Ministry of Education has announced a Sixth Form Pathfinder (Oops! Sorry!) Pathways International (Oops! Sorry! Let me begin again): ‘Sixth Form Pathway Programme’ intended to “ensure that all Jamaican students have access to education from the early childhood to secondary levels of the education system”; (from the 25-page Ministry of Education, Youth and Information document outlining the new programme).

HARD, COLD FACT

The hard, cold fact is: “At present, only 35 per cent of the average 40,000 students completing grade 11 transitioned to a sixth form programme.”

As of now, high school ends at grade 11 (fifth form); henceforth, by diktat, two more years are added to high school and will accommodate the missing 65 per cent.

“The seven years of secondary school initiative is designed to ensure that all Jamaican secondary students are able to access educational opportunities at grades 12 and 13. Students are expected to exit the secondary system with certification which will allow them to transition to tertiary education or the work force.”

How low-literates/illiterates throughout six years of primary and five years of secondary school are to leave the secondary system after two extra years with one or more of the following boggles the mind (and I quote):

• An occupational associate degree

• Certificate/diploma (within an occupational discipline)

• An accredited Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica/University Council of Jamaica associate degree

• Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects or the CAPE associate degree

• National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica/Caribbean Vocational Qualification level two or three

• Dual certification in CAPE associates degree in Industrial Technology and City and Guilds Engineering level three.

Now don’t get me wrong: this is a laudable goal; if the Government can transform our classist, racist and elitist education system by this or any other means, I will be the first to applaud them; readers of this column over the last 30 years know that I am a fierce critic of our apartheid education system. But (1) I don’t think the way the Government is going about it is workable; (2) I don’t think the timing is right (coming out of the pandemic); and (3) I don’t think the strategies can work, can deliver on the stated objectives.

Make no mistake: the ‘Sixth Form Pathway Programme’ is a major restructuring of Jamaica’s secondary school system, and all hands must be on deck if it is to have any chance of success, but there has been little stakeholder engagement. Yesterday’s editorial in this newspaper puts it well: “A few public virtual town hall sessions and private sessions with some head teachers is not, in these circumstances, the definition of engagement.”

SERIOUSLY IMPACT CHURCH AND TRUST SCHOOLS

The Jamaican Government does not own or operate the most successful lobe of our secondary school system. No government-owned entity ranks in the top 10 high schools, and there is only one in the top 30. Jamaica’s best schools are operated by churches and trusts, with some funding from the Government. The ‘Sixth Form Pathway Programme’ will seriously impact the church and trust schools, but the Government has chosen to announce it as a fait accompli with absolutely no consultation with the owners of the best high schools in the nation. Is this a declaration of war? At best it is profound disrespect for major education stakeholders.

According to the Government’s announced plan, principals of high schools will be responsible for arranging the placements of all their grade 11 students in an appropriate ‘Sixth Form Pathway’, including those who obtain no CSEC subjects (Pathway III).

“Secondary schools will be required to maintain a Pathway III programme for their students who quality for the pathway” (page 4).

This is to begin in September 2022, and no arrangements have been made for increased infrastructure to accommodate the extra hundreds of students in high schools, especially classrooms and technical areas.

Operating a sixth form is expensive, especially offering the natural sciences; presently, high schools offer quality sixth forms by charging fees. Under the ‘Sixth Form Pathway Programme’ schools will not be allowed to charge fees, which will mean the death of sixth forms as we know them today. All high schools will now become technical or comprehensive schools.

Is it morally right for the Government to decree all of this with no consultation with the owners of schools?

The ‘Sixth Form Pathway Programme’ will not solve the fundamental problems of Jamaica’s education system which are rooted in inadequate early childhood and primary schooling. The way the Government is going about this is hostile, counterproductive and unworkable. In the middle of a pandemic where the Government lost contact with around 30 per cent of enrolled students, and vast numbers only sporadically attended online classes, this is the wrong time to make such wide-ranging changes to the system.

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.