DON’T COME and place undue pressure on the education system!
This is the caution being issued by Education Minister Ronald Jones to parents of children who sat this year’s Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination.
Stressing that transfers could not be accommodated, the Minister said: “Last year, this placed tremendous pressure on some schools. There were some schools that ended up with classes as big as 36; 35; 34 and 33. Learning in such an environment becomes a bit uncomfortable. And, therefore, we are going to stick to the situation of your choice for children.
“So there is no need to rush to the Ministry and argue that your child got a mark for A, B, or C. The child has been allocated and the best thing to do is to work with our children. And, once you as parents work with our children and once the school provides the kind of nurturing environment, the children will reach their optimum in their studies. It is an extremely stressing process where persons, sometimes believe that we can manipulate the process. We cannot manipulate the process!”
Jones further urged that parents not descend upon the Ministry as this would not be tolerated. “Choices are made by parents; in their discussions and based on their (child’s) performance… Sometimes you might not get your first choice, second choice or third choice; you might get your fourth choice and that is because of how the choices were made by yourself and the relative mark of the student,” he declared. (BGIS)
