Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

While some stakeholders in education are seemingly satisfied with the curriculum being used in teachers' colleges and universities, there are others who contend there are basic deficiencies that need to be addressed.

Montego Bay businessman Mark Kerr-Jarrett, who has served as board chairman of several schools in the western city, believes that if students are to perform at their optimum level, then their teachers, especially at the high-school level, should have the minimum qualification of a bachelor's degree.

"If we are to get the best out of the children, we need to raise the standard of our teachers," said Mr. Kerr-Jarrett, the current chairman of the board of Governors at St. James High School. "I don't believe training at the certificate level is good enough. I believe the minimum qualification should be at least a bachelor's degree."

Right direction

While agreeing that more needs to be done, educator Howard Issacs, principal of the Moneague Teachers' College in St. Ann, believes that the present teacher-training curriculum, which entails studies in psychology, sociology, classroom management and the methodology of teaching, among other subject areas, ispointed in the right direction.

"Over the past five or six years, the curriculum of the colleges has been steadily moving closer to better addressing the changing needs of the society. So I think we are headed in the right direction," Mr. Isaacs explained. "With the new vision and thinking of the Ministry of Education, I think things will continue to get better."

More specialised training

However, while not critical of the curriculum in the teachers' colleges and universities, St. James High School vice-principal Jeannette Solomon, a veteran teacher of over 30 years, believes that more specialised training is needed for teachers in the newly upgraded high schools.

"Because of the GSAT selection process, the less-gifted students end up in upgraded schools, where the teaching/learning process is much more challenging," said Ms. Solomon. "I, therefore, believe the teachers in these schools should be exposed to more training to meet the special needs of these children."

In looking at the cases of children who have been tainted by lack of proper parenting and other vices such as problem-plagued communities and the absence of suitable role models, Ms. Solomon believes teachers who interface with these students should also be trained along the lines of social workers.

"Generally, the colleges prepare teachers for the ideal situation, so when they go out and encounter over-crowded classrooms, children with deviant behaviour and other problems, it becomes quite a challenge for them," said Ms. Solomon. "I believe that like social workers, teachers should be trained to identify and work with students with special needs."

'Not teachers' responsibilty'

While supporting the view that provisions need to be made to assist students with special needs, Mr. Kerr-Jarrett does not believe that such a responsibility should fall on teachers.

According to him, more guidance counsellors need to be employed in the schools to free up the teachers to concentrate on the academic development of students.

"I believe the teachers should be trained to identify children with special needs, and that the guidance counsellors should work with the students to address those needs," said Mr. Kerr Jarrett. "We have got to train more guidance counsellors and get them into the schools. "However, an officer at the Montego Bay Family Court, who regularly deals with delinquent children, said she believes that it is badly in need of a possible complete overhaul, based on her experience with some teenagers.

"I have encountered some children who are neither able to read, write nor reason so it would appear that the school system is failing them," said the officer, who asked not to be identified. "From a curriculum perspective, I am really worried about what is happening in our schools."