As we've reported, failure rates in the PSE continued last year and with
examinations coming up in May, most educators concede that it won't get much
better. And today, new information released by the Ministry of Education tells
us why that may be the case. Late last year, teachers took the test and the
results were alarming. Those were released to mixed reaction at a Ministry of
Education press conference this morning. We were there.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
There are 355 standard six teachers in Belize - from varying backgrounds and
with different levels of training In October to November, they were invited
to take the PSE. Some didn't show up, but on test day, those that did were very
much like the students they teach. Yvonne Davis is from the Examination Unit.
She supervised the test.
Yvonne Davis,
"Their experiences were similar to those of the children."
And the bad news is that they didn't do much better than the children.
- In problem solving, 10 of the 300 teachers got between two and ten points
out of a possible 50 points - that's a score of between 0 and 20%!
- In the Toledo District, one teacher got 2 points out of that possible 50
- that's a score of 4%.
- What's more, 98 of the 308 teachers - a third, outright failed the problem
solving portion of the exam by earning a score of less than 60%.
- But most teachers - 111 of them scored between 31 to 40 points, that's a
score of between 60 and 80% - considered adequate score - but certainly not
impressive.
- In fact of the 308 teachers that did the math problem solving, only 12,
earned a perfect score.
- The district averages show teachers in Corozal and Cayo averaging the best
with 36 and 37 correct out of 50 - average scores of about 75%.
And while math was worrying - the English test divided into letter writing
and composition, wasn't as bad, but still gives reason to worry. 287 teachers
sat this test and, again, most only did adequately.
Yvonne Davis,
"The majority of our papers were at the adequate level. 141 of our teachers
were writing at the adequate level, scoring about ten to fourteen points on
the letter writing paper."
And on the composition again the greatest number, 115 of them were at the adequate
level. 41 teachers failed this section of the test as well. Overall, the scores
are abysmal and the results profoundly worrying. Chief Education Officer Maud
Hyde underscored the concern.
Maud Hyde, Chief Education Officer
"When you face it, quite in this way and looking at the system across
the board, it is certainly takes away your breath a bit and you know that you
have to do something."
And that something was follow up courses to improve on their weaknesses. But
the follow up sessions on Saturdays were poorly attended.
Yvonne Davis,
"The response to the follow up was very poor I would say. For January
20th and 27th, the first two sessions in English by district overall only about
47% of the teachers came out and it fell on January 27th when 39.7% of them
came out. February 46.7% came out and 52% last Saturday which was the last day
of the follow up."
So who is responsible for these failures, first in the test and then in efforts
to follow up?. Union President Anthony Fuentes was on the defensive.
Anthony Fuentes, BNTU President
"The teachers will take this issue here today and see it as probably
a deliberate attempt, maybe it might not be, but as an attempt to attack the
teaching profession."
Maud Hyde,
"The intent is not to necessarily be overly critical of what teachers
and our teachers ability but as a nation to look at where we stand, to look
at some of the things that keep us from seeing the performance from our children
we would like to see and be able to address them."
Anthony Fuentes,
"It is not only teachers who want but all stakeholders from Ministry,
management, union, parents, children - all of us are involved in the delivery
of the quality of education so all of us have to take blame."
And all those stakeholders, with the exception of children and parents were
at the head table - and all could point to a contributory cause. Management,
represented by the Chair of the Association of School Managers Carol Babb said
it was the quality of teachers.
Carol Babb,
"I was watching some of your expressions, your facial expressions when
you learnt about the results of the PSE that the teachers themselves took. As
a manager I am telling you that everyday we are faced with filling vacancies
and being unable to find qualified teachers to fill those vacancies. Right now
I look at one of my larger Anglican schools and at that school there are only
three trained teachers and the principal and I, she came to me and she asked
me what are we going to do?"
Indeed what to do, less than half the teachers are trained, one of them with
only a standard six diploma.
Carol Babb,
"We have to admit too that in very remote villages, teachers don't qualify,
teachers don't want to go there and sometimes you have to take what you get.
And I am talking from experience. I would have problems right now to find somebody
to go to Punta Negra. Nobody wants to go to those places and I am sure in the
case of that teacher that has a primary school certificate, that might be the
only person who is willing to go there."
Problems wide and far reaching, and a test that now is failing both students
and teachers. But Hyde says, nothing is wrong with the test.
Maud Hyde,
"If the system is not measuring up to what the expectations are, then
the system needs to be addressed."
Jules Vasquez,
How can you say that the system has to measure up, no in the system punishes.
You get 100% of your salary, these teachers will get 100% of their salary, these
kids get half a life?
Maud Hyde,
"I think that is putting it a bit strongly. Half a life
we wouldn't
want to say that our children can't succeed if they don't do well on PSE. Examinations
are a necessary evil some people would say but education is not all about examination."
With no stated targets for improvement - and a clear indication that many teacher
just cannot teach what they don't know - Hyde says things are under control
- this is not a crisis.
Maud Hyde,
"Whether we're in a crisis, I wouldn't say so. A crisis to me is something
where everything is falling down. I don't think everything is falling down."
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