Skip to playerSkip to main content
CCNTV6
  • 10 months ago
An after-school lessons "Mafia" placing some students at a learning disadvantage?


Well, that's how an alleged practice by some teachers was classified by one education stakeholder at a Joint Select Committee of Parliament.


TTUTA's response to the issue, not alleviating any uneasiness.


Alicia Boucher tells us more.
Transcript
00:00The underperformance of students has been a topic for the past few years, with scores
00:05of the secondary entrance assessment examinations highlighting a glaring reality.
00:10In 2023, 41.9% of students scored below 50%, and in 2024, 57.9% scored less than 50%, representing
00:22more than 14,000 students cumulatively.
00:25Over the same period, the number of students scoring 90% or more declined from 2.11% to
00:321.4%.
00:34Of concern to the Joint Select Committee, a practice of teachers conducting extra classes
00:39in order to complete the curriculum.
00:41While some do it pro bono, others do not.
00:45President of the National Council of Parent-Teacher Association, Walter Stewart, stopping short
00:49of calling it criminal.
00:51There seems to be, and I want to use the word mafia guardedly with regards to the extra
00:59classes that parents have to succumb to in order to assist their children.
01:07The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association, while saying the issue cannot be generalized,
01:13isn't denying that it happens.
01:15Tutor President Martin Lumpkin states that members of the association are discouraged
01:19from such behavior.
01:20It's unethical, but once it's outside of the school hours, the ministry will have little
01:28jurisdiction in addressing that.
01:33The ministry will look at what is taking place during the school day, and it is in that instance
01:40that the Ministry of Education can monitor and ensure that a certain level of delivery
01:47of the curriculum.
01:48That response seemingly causing JSC Chairman, Dr. Paul Richards, some agitation.
01:54But my concern is what is being done to stop it.
01:56They may not be breaking the law, but they're engaging in unethical activity that puts parents
02:01and children at a great disadvantage.
02:03Member Naki, you can go ahead, please.
02:05Thank you for your responses.
02:06On another note, there is said to be an increasing lack of parental involvement in school-related
02:11activities, especially at government schools.
02:14The NCPTA is making a link between that issue and the level of underperformance in schools.
02:20I always make the boast that any parent, the children of parents who are involved in the
02:28lives of their children will, not might, or maybe will do well at the end of the educational
02:36semester at primary and ECE and secondary schools.
02:42So that the issue is really a clear one.
02:46The NCPTA is encouraging parents to act on the issue.
02:49It states that one of the reasons being provided by some parents who are failing to engage
02:54in this regard and not attending PTA meetings is that they are not being given the time
03:00off from work.
03:01To that end, Stewart says.
03:03And probably the time has come, members, for especially government workers to be given
03:10compensatory time off in order to attend PTA meetings.
03:15As it pertains to social support services, the JSC has heard that in some cases it is
03:20taking as much as two years for some students to see a psychologist in order to address
03:24possible learning disabilities, and follow-up appointments for those who are able to secure
03:29the initial visit can take months.
03:32Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment