Getting rid of all the bad teachers

THE EDITOR: The recently initiated national discussion on education has raised many important issues and is also opening the eyes of many where the age-old education system is concerned. The viability of the curriculum and its ability to provide relevant workers for today and tomorrow, the concordat and its relevance now, the SEA examination and the Teaching Service Commission are the salient issues.

Dr Fazal Ali, past chairman of the commission and Prime Minister Dr Rowley have touched on a very pertinent issue – the selection of teachers for primary and secondary schools. The PM made the point that some teachers are “square pegs in round holes.” And he is very correct. However, he did not go on to elaborate what deleterious effects a poor teacher can have on students and the future of the country, nor did he go on to say how this could have happened.

A bad teacher can do irreparable damage to young minds. This damage can be wide-ranging and even long-lasting. That teacher can cause promising students to fall by the wayside and never realise their potential. A don't-care or lackadaisical teacher can cause students to turn off and look for other means of surviving rather than improving their social standing through education.

How do such people seep through the cracks and get into the profession? As in every career, there are those who are just looking for a job and they are the ones who only care about when the month ends. It is believed in many quarters that denominational boards and even personnel in the teaching service give preferential treatment to family and friends although they are not suitable for the job.

Rectifying this problem is almost impossible, as reports by school principals about the conduct and effectiveness of teachers are usually shoved under the carpet, never reaching the authorities because of red tape or intervention by others.

So what's the answer to this problem? Ali gave the answer in a recent television interview when he said, “Principals should be part and parcel of the hiring and firing process.” Indeed, they are the ones who are on the ground and who know what the school needs, who is performing and who is not and they are the ones who can move the school forward.

We have often spoken of making all schools “prestige” schools. Well, this would be a major step in that direction. The teaching service has long been outdated. It has served its purpose but needs now to make way for a body that is more interactive with the workings of schools.

WKS HOSEIN

Chaguanas