Those vexing 20% students

THE EDITOR: TT, the SEA exam is past. Figures never lie.

Let us say secondary school X accepts 120 students at the commencement of the new school term in September. Eighty per cent of the students would have attained the marks required for entry – that is to say, they passed for the said school.

The residual 20 per cent gained entry by other means

At the end of the first term in Form I, both the 80 per cent and the 20 per cent are vividly identified. If there is a special stream, the 20 per cent are not visible. The 20 per cent rarely make 5five years much less seven.

Even in the world of work, one hears, "you attended X school and cannot full out a simple form?"

Incompetence usually follows the 20 per cent on the job by way of incidents, accidents and injuries during their working life.

So when you think you are doing the 20 per cent a favour – by getting them into their school of choice – you are in fact throwing them into the deep end of the pool, knowing fully well they are ill-equipped to walk, much less swim.

Put the 20 per cent where they belong.

Otherwise they spend their entire lives trying to convince others and themselves that they were in the correct college.

Empty vessels make the most noise. Please put the 20 per cent among those of similar academic intelligence levels. When sheep are put among lions, what transpires? The lions devour the sheep without compassion and do not look back. Such is their nature.

Do what is right because it is right TT: never send a duck to eagle school.

I am a Roman Catholic, I live in Princes Town, I passed for Naparima College, San Fernando which is Presbyterian because I made the marks. Figures never lie.

AV RAMPERSAD

Princes Town