More SBA stress for students

THE EDITOR: The recent decision by the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) to advise teachers to not mark any newly introduced School Based Assessments (SBAs) from September 2018, is very distressing news for thousands of parents and particularly their children, who have to complete SBAs for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC).

Imagine the devastating effects this will have for thousands of our students from TT, if they cannot get their final grades from Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) to apply for university, other tertiary institutions, scholarships and even for basic employment.

The SBAs are projects that contribute to about 20 per cent of a student’s overall score and is an important part of their grade. I am also told that our teachers, like their colleagues in every other Caribbean country have been marking their students’ SBAs for more than 35 years now. Why this sudden shift?

TTUTA is aware that the continuous assessments process is an effective way to measure the student’s knowledge of a particular subject. The best method is for these assessments to be done at the particular school the students attend and conducted by the teacher responsible for that subject and those students.

I appeal to our teachers to continue to demonstrate that similar care, love and spirit of patriotism shown to you by your teachers when you were students. Teaching is still a noble profession and the lives you influence, nurture and change today, will be the ones to make TT a better place for future generations.

Maraj Singh via e-mail

Comments

"More SBA stress for students"

More in this section