Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
By Dr Garry Hornby
The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (MoE) in Barbados recently proposed that the education reforms currently being proposed must be guided by the key values of being Fair, Inclusive, Relevant and Modern, that is FIRM. These values are important but in my opinion need to be extended by using the acronym PERFORMING, which focuses on ensuring that the education reforms are: Practicable, Effective, Relevant, Fair, Outcome-focused, Research-based, Modern, Inclusive, Nationally-equitable, and Globally-competitive.
Practicable
Education reforms must address the major issues with the current system and be able to be implemented within the resources available, with minimal disruption to the education of current students and within the shortest possible time frame. However, it is important to consider the sustainability of any proposed changes and not attempt a quick-fix or be swayed by in-vogue ideas that will not bring long-term positive results.
A major part of the MoE’s proposals for education reform appears to be the addition of junior academies (middle schools). However, introducing middle schools would not address the major issue with the education system which is the massive under-achievement of pupils in government primary schools due to the intense focus on the 11 plus examination. The 11 plus is a selective and divisive means for transfer to secondary schools, whereas, the most practicable and equitable way of organising this transfer is by replacing the 11 plus with zoning. This focuses on developing inclusive community schools supporting diverse populations, that will bring about improved overall academic outcomes.
Opening middle schools in Barbados would require the development of relevant curricula, training of teachers and the adaptation of existing schools specifically for this age group, as well as possibly building some new schools/facilities. This is a very expensive project that would take many years to fully implement. But this idea has already been rejected by former secondary school principals and other education experts, who have noted that other countries, such as Bermuda and the UK, are closing down their middle schools because of the higher costs of having a three-tier education system and concerns about their effectiveness in raising education standards. These factors clearly rule out changing to a three-tier system including junior academies since changing to such a system with middle schools is just not practicable at this time.
Effective
Abandoning the need to teach children to “pass” the 11 plus exam will enable primary schools to concentrate on, and be more effective in, their most important task, which is the teaching of literacy and numeracy. This will ensure that as many pupils as possible develop a high enough level of these skills to be able to be successful at secondary school. Without the focus on the 11 plus, teachers will have time to replace normative assessments with criteria referenced testing, recently introduced into primary schools, to target teaching on areas that need to be developed, for individual children as well as for entire classes, thereby ensuring that their teaching is effective in optimising learning for all pupils. When fully implemented, this will lead to a significant increase in the proportion of children leaving primary schools with adequate reading, writing and mathematics skills for their secondary education.
In addition to better facilitating academic learning without the 11 plus, primary school teachers will also be able to focus more on personal and interpersonal skill development through teaching social and emotional learning programmes. Teachers will be able to use strategies such as Circle Time and peer support programmes to create positive learning environments that help to prevent disruptive and violent behaviour, reduce bullying to a minimum, and prevent the development of mental health problems. In this way they will be able to focus on the development of the so-called soft skills, including teamwork, communication, time management, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, that employers consider essential for being successful at work.
The result of these changes will be that many more children will be able to move on to secondary school with the basic academic skills, confidence and interpersonal skills needed for success.
Relevant
National education goals and priorities are to enable as many in the population as possible to become citizens who can live fulfilling lives, contributing to the communities in which they live, and provide the workforce with the knowledge and skills needed for making Barbados competitive in the 21st century. This requires a system from pre-school through to tertiary education with relevant curricula and effective teaching in order to produce optimal outcomes. However, a major problem is that the overwhelmingly academic curriculum in secondary schools is not relevant to the education of many pupils.
An important part of education reform must therefore be to ensure that secondary schools place greater emphasis on technical and vocational education by making these attractive alternative options during the later stages of secondary schooling. So, while all students will study mainly academic subjects with some technical/vocational courses in the first few years of secondary schooling, there should be a point when they decide which type of programme to concentrate on. This is the case in many other countries such as Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands according to author A Schleicher in World Class: How to build a 21st-century school system, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education.
This could be implemented in Barbados by allowing students to opt whether to follow during their fourth and fifth form years, a curriculum focused on more practical knowledge and skills, such as that required by the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, or a more technical and vocational education required by the Caribbean Vocational Qualifications. These more practical or vocationally-focused curricula should be available alongside the more academically-focused curriculum taken by students aiming to sit Caribbean Examination Council examinations.
So, whereas students following an academic programme and sitting CXCs would be aiming to go on to sixth form colleges and then university, those following the technical and vocational route to prepare for taking CVQs would be aiming to go on to institutions such as community colleges, polytechnics or hospitality schools and those following a more practical programme and taking the CSEC will be aiming to leave school at age 16 years to get jobs.
Providing a choice between academic, practical or technical/vocational programmes would require the development of a suite of practical, technical and vocational courses to make up a substantial part of the 4th and 5th form years for those students who opt for these tracks.
Fair
Central to the concept of fairness is equity in education and valuing all learners equally. The equity agenda is regarded not only as a social justice imperative but also as a way of ensuring that resources are used effectively in the pursuit of national prosperity. Schleicher (2018) emphasises that where optimum opportunities are available for all members of a society to develop skills and achieve success in the educational process, they are likely to participate more fully in economic, social, civic and political processes. They are also less likely to be a burden to society in terms of health costs and involvement in crime. It is critical therefore that Barbados should reflect on the capacity of its education system to promote equity.
Therefore, one of the key values in education reform must be abandoning selection using high-stakes tests (the 11 plus) that segregate children by ability at an early age. This will allow all children to benefit from developing literacy and numeracy skills within a broad curriculum for as long as possible. Across the OECD countries, for example, the average age at which school systems begin to select students is 14 years. Selecting students at age 11 is considered too early. Delaying selection has been found to reduce the effects of socio-economic factors on achievement and to improve equity, as well as overall education outcomes.
With regard to socio-economic factors, it should not be surprising that private schools in Barbados, with more middle-class intakes, superior resources and smaller class sizes typically do better at preparing children for an exam like the 11 plus. The reforms suggested in this article include ensuring schools in less wealthy areas have additional resources and support for helping pupils who are struggling. This will lead to improvements in overall levels of literacy and numeracy in government primary schools, thereby increasing equity by narrowing the gap between them and private schools.
Dr Garry Hornby is a former mainstream and special education teacher and educational psychologist and is now an Emeritus Professor of Education living in Barbados. He can be contacted on: hornbygarry@gmail.com
