Agriculture Students Missing Out

Details

Education

Saturday, 14 January 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St John's - All Saints Secondary School students looking to take Agriculture Science in the 2012 Caribbean Examinations have already fallen short of qualifying for “double award” honours, having failed to register for both.

The Antigua and Barbuda Teachers Union has zoomed in on the Ministry of Education for issues it says are affecting learning conditions, including teachers' deplorable working conditions.

The union’s frustration comes after months of unanswered requests for action on academic and organizational shortcomings at the educational institution.

This frustration could be followed by industrial unrest, as the union noted that the teachers have indicated their unwillingness to continue to witness this "grave injustice being meted out to the nation's youth".

The last letter from the union addressed to Permanent Secretary Jessel Edwards is dated November 30. Attempts to reach Edwards were unsuccessful.

General Secretary of the Teachers Union Ashworth Azille told Caribarena.com on Thursday that since the submission of the letter last year, he has had no formal response from the Ministry of Education.

He does, however, admit to having an informal meeting with the PS where it was assured that the issues would be looked into. He also noted receipt of a carbon-copied correspondence from the minister of Education suggesting an inquiry would take place.

Among the details of the November 30 letter, are ongoing efforts by the principal and staff to ensure that students enrolled in the agricultural science programme are offered a fair chance to obtain “authentic experiences” before sitting the Caribbean Examination Council's (CXC) examinations.

“However, in what can only be described as a case of gross negligence on the part of the key officers within the Ministry of Education, students at the institution have been robbed the opportunity to obtain Double Award qualifications in the 2012 examinations,” the letter said.

Further, students in the programme who intend to proceed with only one award could have to rely on the grades earned during the theory component, since they have to contend with unplowed fields, having lost the chance to earn grades from the livestock aspect of the exams.


Azille said the government is responsible for plowing the field. The students need the field to get short-term crops in the ground in time to satisfy the requirements of the School Based Assessment (SBA).

“The organisation is aware that several pieces of communications have been sent to the ministry advising of the need to rectify this situation," Azille said. "Sadly, after many promises, students have been asked to forgo the opportunity to obtain the crucial double awards."

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