Tabaquite MP, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, said policy makers need to determine whether or not the inputs into our primary school education are generating solution.
She made the comment in light of the analysis of the results of the 2024 Secondary Entrance Assessment examination.
In a release on Friday, Haynes-Alleye, the Shadow Minister of Education, congratulated all students on this milestone achievement and also commended the support system of parents, teachers and well-wishers.
However, in reflecting on the SEA 2024 results, Haynes-Alleyne noted, “As policy makers, examination result releases should trigger for us a specific type of analysis. As it relates to SEA, we must determine – as evidenced by the data – whether or not the inputs into our primary school education are generating solutions to the identified issues and whether there are new challenges that ought to be considered.”
The Tabaquite MP maintains that the data does not indicate any real statistical improvement in performance despite the findings of the Vacation Revision Programme (VRP) which was introduced last year, “It is not enough to say that student performance in 2024 builds on improvements seen in 2023 when the context of last year’s performance improvement was directly related to the COVID-19 impacted results of 2022.”
“In fact, less students recorded scores over 90% this year when compared to last year. Moreover, we are still looking at approximately 40% of students scoring under 50%. There has also been a small increase this year in the number of students scoring under 30%, from 13.55% in 2023 to 14.39% in 2024. These numbers tell us that a large group of students have not displayed the competence to properly participate in secondary school.”
Haynes Alleyne also recommends that, in addition to this year’s VRP initiative, increased support is extended to schools tasked with education delivery to this at-risk student population, “We must also consider the matter of school placement. There have been instances in the past where students who require remedial education as they transition into secondary school are disproportionately placed. In the absence of resources at these institutions, teachers face a serious challenge to keep students engaged. We know these students are often susceptible to higher absenteeism and dropout rates as well as instances of school violence. It is therefore critical that the Ministry of Education (MOE) ensures these schools are properly staffed and supported with social workers and counsellors.”
Haynes Alleyne reiterates her position that data-based targeted interventions are essential to the path forward, “Our students want to do well and they have the potential to achieve their goals. It is our role as policy-makers, to use the information and resources at hand to provide the best possible environment for their success.”