– Education Minister Shaik BakshEducation Minister Shaik Baksh yesterday affirmed that the automatic promotion policy which aims to stem school dropouts in the school system will remain in force.Baksh, who was at the time addressing hundreds of graduates of the Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) at Queen’s College, emphasised that some head teachers, parents and sections of the media are oblivious to the thrust of the policy and promised to hold a press briefing to clarify related issues.The Minister said that students who fail their end of year examinations should not be punished by making them repeat their class. About 80 per cent of these students drop-out of the school system, he said.The Ministry of Education has institutionalised remediation programmes at Grades Eight and Nine in Mathematics and English during the school year and the August holidays, targeting academically weak students. The intention of these programmes, the Minister explained,
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Cheap Jerseys From China Outlet, as they should be paying a closer interest in their children’s education.He said that the old tradition of parents getting to know of their children’s performance at the end of the school year must stop and they should begin monitoring their children on a term by term basis.The Minister argued that if this is done, he is confident that students would perform better at school and there would be no call for them to repeat their class.The latter, he said has been destroying students confidence and self-esteem, often leading to them dropping- out of school with no certificate to gain employment.Notably, there is no repetition at the primary level and pupils who have performed poorly at the National Grade Six Assessment are placed in remedial Sixth Form Schools with Grade Seven dedicated to transform these students to secondary school material.Baksh also noted that his Ministry is aware of the high drop-out rate of students at Grades Seven to Nine and has introduced the Secondary School Competency Certificate Programme to address this problem.Some 500 students drawn from every region in the country graduated from the Secondary Competency Programme.According to SCCP Coordinator, Aubrey Overton, among the graduates, 196 did Crops and Soil; 144 did Catering; 13 did Household Management; 11, Garment Construction; eight, Art; eight Fabric Decoration; three, Carpentry; 63 Joinery; 44 Electrical Installation; three, Masonry; six, Welding and two, Metalwork.He also noted that since the programme was implemented last year, it has resulted in a number of positive indicators. Notably, he mentioned that students’ attendance has improved; their understanding of topics was prioritised; teachers were made more accountable for students learning; networking between schools and practical instructional centres improved as well as the relationship between the school and community.The programme caters for the diverse needs of students who do want to pursue the academic subjects by equipping them with the requisite skills to ensure that they are adequately prepared for the world of work.The initiative which was implemented in 12 more schools at the beginning of this school year is now being offered in 35 secondary schools at Grade Nine and several practical instructional centres in Georgetown.The goal of the Ministry of Education is to increase this number to 70 schools by 2013. Students’ performance in the SCCP is measured against specific occupational standards directly related to industry and they are required to develop competency in certain skills areas relevant to their studies. Grade Nine students and those at the practical instructional centres are trained to the status of Level One worker.Generally, the programme is for one year but could be expanded to meet the needs of students. Among other things, it caters to develop technical competencies and enhancement of functional literacy and numeracy at Grade Nine; equip students with citizenship, life and vocational skills to support national development; expose students to a modularised and vocational career education with emphasis on supervised work experience, work attachments and/or work related projects; develop good occupational, environmental health and safety practices in schools; and develop in students problem solving and creative thinking skills through project work.Under the programme, students are offered four core subjects,<a href="htt
