‘Fix ’ schools before SEAreplacement

THE EDITOR: The education proposals endorsed by a group of professionals and published in the Trinidad Newsday are commendable. The recommendations provide an excellent roadmap for the management of school transition of students in TT. The article references Canada but overlooks the relevant facts about the Canadian educational system.

Students and parents in the Canadian system do not compete for placement in schools because all schools are quality schools. Even those in low socio-economic areas must meet certain quality standards in terms of instruction, curriculum, working conditions, learning conditions. The physical plant must also meet quality standards.

Before any consideration of the removal of the SEA, all schools in TT should undergo school improvement plans. Standards must be put in place for teacher qualifications, instruction, curriculum, student achievement, discipline and physical plant. In short, an aggressive, expensive school improvement plan should be undertaken before any removal of the SEA is even considered – if the goal is to make neighbourhood schools more attractive.

Hastily removing the SEA and leaving schools in their present condition or existence would not eliminate the negative factors mentioned in the article. It presents proposals for school improvement without considering that school improvement plans are long-term goals.

Assuming these improvements could be completed to facilitate the removal of the SEA by 2021 is unrealistic. Total school improvement plans are four to five-year projects in most Canadian jurisdictions and these plans start from a much higher base than schools in TT.

CARL RAMPERSAD

via e-mail