By Emmanuel Joseph
The island’s two teachers’ unions are backing the government’s decision to reintroduce specialist teachers in numeracy and literacy in primary schools but have offered suggestions for more effective outcomes.
The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) on Friday called for the establishment of clearer guidelines in the execution of the initiative which was announced on Wednesday by Minister of Education Kay McConney.
Addressing the launch of the National Task Force on Literacy Education at the Erdiston Teachers Training College, she acknowledged the role of teachers as she announced plans to strengthen support for literacy and numeracy teachers in primary schools by the start of the new school year in September. The decision was prompted by feedback from teachers during education transformation consultations last year.
But the BUT’s President, Rudy Lovell, expressed concern about a lack of clarity surrounding the programme.
“While the BUT welcomes the new initiative to reintroduce specialised literacy and numeracy teachers into primary schools, we emphasise the need for clarity on its execution,” Lovell told Barbados TODAY.
“Key questions remain unanswered: Will these teachers be newly hired? Will every school receive dedicated numeracy and literacy teachers? What criteria will be used to assign these teachers to schools? Will they operate as peripatetic teachers, offering support across multiple classrooms?
“These inquiries,” the union leader contended, “are crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of the initiative and its alignment with the needs of schools and students.”
He warned that “without clear guidelines, there is a risk that the initiative may fall short of its intended goals”.
The BUT head underscored the importance of transparency and collaboration in the process.
“We call upon the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training to share the data compiled regarding literacy and numeracy needs with stakeholders. This data sharing would enable stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and community members, to provide valuable input and ensure that the initiative addresses the specific challenges faced by schools across Barbados.
“While the BUT applauds the initiative to enhance literacy and numeracy education in primary schools, we emphasise the necessity of clear implementation strategies and collaborative decision-making processes to ensure its success,” he said.
Lovell added: “By addressing these concerns and working closely with stakeholders, Barbados can take significant
strides towards improving educational outcomes for all students.”
The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), while also sanctioning the initiative, was adamant that the teaching of numeracy and literacy must go beyond academic needs to include teaching for life.
BSTU President Mary Redman underscored that curriculum reform is necessary at the primary level with “a profound need for emphasis on soft skills, self-respect, respect for others, conflict resolution, a sense of community responsibility and respect for the environment”.
“There has been an overwhelming emphasis on the purely academic and cramming the curriculum with too much content, instead of making sure that the basics are understood and mastered,” Redman told Barbados TODAY. “That has been the result of a curriculum focused on preparing for the 11-plus exam.”
The BSTU head also cautioned that the increasing ill-discipline in schools, including primary, has the potential to derail all the efforts to improve effective teaching and learning outcomes.
“There is a direct and dynamic link between discipline and learning…and even from the primary level we are having so many reports of ill-discipline among children at the primary level,” Redman said.
She expressed concern that ill-discipline was affecting teachers.
President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union Mary Redman.
“It is impacting the ability of teachers to do what they do, and to this extent, we have to find ways of creating more orderly classrooms and more orderly teaching environments…teaching children soft skills.”
Concerning the numeracy and literacy needs identified by Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw during the same ceremony on Wednesday, the BSTU leader argued that there has to be training that is specific to those needs.
“New teachers would have to be trained. More experienced teachers would have to be retrained. Our resources here to train teachers would have to be able to respond to the needs now. There must be a space for projection into future needs and training so that there is a proactive approach to dealing with the problems that we see,” Redman said.
She urged that focus also be placed on students taking care of their personal and group space in schools and classrooms. The union president also suggested that teaching reform should consider those things that can “create a well-rounded synergised end-product at the end of the educational process.”
At the task force’s launch, Dr Archer-Bradshaw sounded an alarm about the language skills of primary school students, suggesting a need for immediate attention to the way literacy is taught in Barbados.
She revealed an analysis of the national test data of children from year three in primary school to year four of secondary school. Results for the criterion reference test – a diagnostic examination set for primary school students around age seven – from 2012 to 2021 show weak foundation skills for most students in Infants B and Class 2.
The education chief also pointed to language gaps based on the 11-plus examination for entry into secondary school and the latest assessment of secondary school students.
Education Minister McConney said: “The advent of technology has certainly revolutionised the way teaching and learning are both constructed and conducted within our school system. Virtual classrooms have become commonplace. The advancement of artificial intelligence will continue to make the acquisition of knowledge and skills more accessible to all. Still, in the midst of all of these advancements, the basic ability to read and write remains foundational to learning.”
She added that literacy needs to be addressed at every level, including tertiary institutions like the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
