Antigua and Barbuda
Good Response to Math Rescue Plan
- Details
- Education
- Monday, 03 September 2012 02:30
- By caribarena news
Antigua St. John's - Education Officer responsible for Mathematics Caron Weston said she is satisfied with the response, so far, to a call for help to boost mathematics passes in secondary schools.
In less than three weeks, over 20 educators have volunteered to assist the Ministry of Education with its plan to reverse the continued declined in mathematics passes in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exam, which stood at 27 per cent this year.
"The volunteer list is coming along nicely. I would still be thankful if I have more than that," Weston said. "They would be doing mentoring and giving motivation rather than just teaching mathematics alone,".
"What now has to happen is that I have to wait until the schools open to match what I have with the their time table. What I'm actually doing is assigning three volunteers to schools of their choice for two hours per week at their time."
Weston listed some of the volunteers as Patrick Lake, Hyram Forde, Cordell Weston, and Juno Samuel.
She said the programme has the support of many people within the Ministry of Education including Permanent Secretary Valerie Mussington and Director of Education Jacintha Pringle.
Others, she said, are Doristeen Ettinoff, Priscilla Nicholas, Jessie George, Dr Patricia George, Stacey Mascall, Sean Samuel, CXC Registrar Myrick Smith, Kerrie Robinson, Tamie Simon and Jeannette Mason.
According to Weston, other plans are afoot to improve math passes and students’ attitude to the compulsory subject.
"We may be starting something in mathematics where we start boot camp so we can share and have peer grouping. Never again will I have to say a school is short of mathematics teachers."
It was recently revealed that only about three of the 75 educators teaching the subject in government secondary schools have mathematics degrees.
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2 Comments In This Article
@ fireman
Having all those alphabets behind your name isn't worth anything if you are a teacher and you are "unable" to apply (or method) what you know into the class room not only to a set of students but bearing in mind the varying mindsets of students etc.
Lets go back to the drawing boards, learn and divide the mindsets, take what we know and try to fuse it the way the child/adult mindset can understand what it is we are trying to impart.
Pied Piper
RE: Good Response to Math Rescue Plan
What else do you expect from such a system when intelligent trained persons who have indicated an interest in the school system was pushed aside.
Discipline in another big issue. I taught for some time and loved it. Wish I could remain a teacher but there are some really ill-disciplined students. Added to that, the attitudes of some of the parents, not to mention the ministry's inability or unwillingness to address the issue.
Fire man
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