Education outside the ‘syllabus’ - EDITORIAL

We have received the results of the 2020 Advanced Level Examination and are considering options for university hopefuls. Tuition masters have already taken credit for the best results in the island. According to Government statistics 194,297 students are eligible to apply for local universities. Have the schools which taught these students delivered on the aspect of dispensing knowledge?

We know that the pandemic hampered school education. Syllabuses may not have been covered to the satisfaction of students. The list of students who received island rankings was released. From the surface it looks as if schools have done their part despite the hardships caused by the pandemic.

According to the teachings of ‘Human Rights’ parents have a say in deciding the stream of education for their children. Going a little beyond that parents have a responsibility in providing the children with certain materials which can be termed ‘education received outside the classroom’. 

 
A good example for this is to study the answers given by school students who participate in television quiz shows. Most often schoolchildren who take part in these shows reveal through their answers how deep their reading is. 
On a note of caution it is with concern that mention must be made of engineering and maths students because a good many of them have struggled to proceed beyond quarter of the questions prosed to them; often failing in questions related to the country’s history and literature. 

This is a country where the most uneducated men enter parliament. We have a state minister who once supported an idea presented by a group of villagers who wanted the removal of mangroves to construct a volleyball court; disregarding concerns about the oxygen we breathe. 

There are a good number of lawmakers in parliament who have’t passed their Ordinary Level Examination. 
We must also focus on improving the package that the school provides children with. We hear of schools grabbing talented students from other academic institutes through a deal; known as sports scholarship. The arrangement is for the new recruit to dazzle in sports at the newfound school. The new school will only be concerned about the new recruit being injury-free; education during ‘A Levels’ being given little or no attention. 

These are days when we get to hear of members of the underworld being killed. Most of them were killed when they tried to attack law enforcement officers during search operations, according to the Police. 
These underworld characters were also at one time students. There are teachers who tried to put them on the right path. But seldom do we talk about the teacher also being labeled as a failure along with the students dropping out of schools. 

The uneducated are often used by lawmakers for personal gains. Most underworld characters are the products of politicians. The point to underscore is that an uneducated individual can end up as a pawn of a bigwig. 
At the time of releasing A Level results we’re more concerned about ‘grades’ of students. We must be concerned about the product the school releases to the society. It’s so hard to find selfless, responsible people for employment during present times. Employers have to deal with egoistic, ambitious and self-centered individuals who seek employment as trainees. It would be very hard for a society or institute to find a leader among such selfish individuals; despite them being highly educated. 

This country needs a huge change. Talking about change this writer sees it apt to quote a saying from a recent Facebook post which said, ‘When past leaders don’t address a problem the problem sees the emerging leader who intends changing the system as the problem’.