Parents must exhibit a level of intelligence when it comes to their children’s academic futures, says Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw.
Speaking at Deighton Griffith Secondary School in Kingsland, Christ Church, yesterday morning after the start of the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination, she responded to those complaining that some teachers were laid back when it came to their jobs, forcing parents to pay for after-school lessons.
“Teachers in Barbados generally give 110 per cent. What I do know is that because some parents place much premium on certain schools in Barbados, they go all out to make sure that their children can have access to services. That is the reason why some of our parents will seek lessons for their children.
Lessons culture
“The culture of lessons is not unique to Barbados. If you look at spaces such as Trinidad, Singapore and other places [with] colonial ties, you realise that parents will go all out to make sure that their children attend certain schools, and that is the reason why lessons culture is prevailing as it is in society,” Archer-Bradshaw said.
“We often speak about artificial intelligence (AI), but I have a colleague who speaks about another kind of intelligence called PI, which is parent intelligence. We know that sometimes children will take home assignments and the parents will help them quite a lot so that they can get an A. However, we want to see what children can do in the classroom and what they know so that we can truly help them to develop,” she said.
Required knowledge
Archer-Bradshaw said most teachers had the children of Barbados at heart and went above and beyond to ensure they received the required knowledge.
“They go beyond to make sure that they try to cultivate [the correct] attitudes and that they (the children) have certain skills that will take them through life. Even in preparation for this 11-Plus, several teachers from Classes 1, 2, 3, and even 4 spend extra time, weekends and Easter vacations trying to make sure that concepts are consolidated.
“However, I will also say that we do know that there are some teachers who may not be performing at his or her optimum. Where that is the case, we have a complement of education officers who go in to provide the requisite support because it may not be because the teachers are . . . not performing, but it may be that they need some additional resources and support.”
She said they will soon be introducing a quality assurance framework to define standards for good teaching, good leadership and good schools, all part of the ministry’s efforts to create the No. 1 education system in the world.
Archer-Bradshaw also addressed the issue of mandatory licences for teachers, which the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) has opposed, citing it as unnecessary bureaucracy which would not improve student outcomes or teacher quality. The union argued that a focus on development and improved, consistent opportunities for teacher training and professional retooling were better options.
The Chief Education Officer said it was about ensuring teachers were on the cutting edge, but they will meet with the union to iron out any concerns.
“We will have a robust discussion as to the benefits of licensing and the disadvantages, and see where we can meet each other halfway or whole way. When you look at licensing across the world, not only for teachers, it ensures that in a particular profession, the individuals within that profession are operating to certain standards.” (CA)
