Charles wants patriotism taught in schools

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles, who also holds the portfolio of Secretary of Education, wants patriotism to be taught in the nation's classrooms.

Addressing reporters during the weekly post-Executive Council media briefing last Wednesday at the Division of Finance and the Economy, at the Victor E Bruce Financial Complex in Scarborough, Charles also said retired educators would be brought on-board to assist in policy making.

“We need to begin to teach the whole concept of patriotism in our schools; you know we talk about the system in United States teaches one to be an American and one has to ask the question, does our system in Trinidad and Tobago teaches us to be patriotic and loyal to Trinidad and Tobago?"

Charles said a small subcommittee is to be convened to continue the conversation and to determine the extent to which retired teachers and principals can contribute, whilst giving back to the development of the island through the education system.

Charles had initially raised the topic following a breakfast meeting with retired teachers and principals on August 15 at the Mt Irvine Bay Resort.

He said through this breakfast meeting he was able to get a commitment that the retired educators are willing to provide support and assistance to schools.

The meeting, he said, focused on approaches and strategies to continue to lift the level of school effectiveness and improve the performance of our students.

“It is the education sector that would eventually drive the development of this island because...it is your human resources that will develop your island or your country; and your human resources, in respect of your capacity and capability, are developed through your education system and therefore it is vital that we pay attention to this sector and ensure in all possible ways that we develop a very robust education system.

Charles said former "practitioners" would have the opportunity to provide input into policy decision making.

Among the suggestions for improvements, according to Charles, “We need once again to place greater emphasis on values; education at pre and primary school level, there is the belief that part of the challenge we are facing today has to do with perhaps an erosion of traditional values or a shift in values, to the extent that some may be even more dysfunctional than functional.”

He said students also need to read more and this is something that needs to be implemented.

“That we probably need to consider reading as the most important subject on the primary school curriculum, that came out very forcefully."

He said accountability and proper data need to be at the forefront of a modern education system.

"That a scientific tracking system should be introduced to monitor the performance of students, especially at the primary schools level, and I did advise them that we have begun since last year a particular mechanism that we call the Tobago District Assessment, that is in place and those results we would have done a tracking between last year and this year and those results will be made available to principals at the start of this new school term, so that they can factor that into their planning.”