The failure of our education system !

When I see our kids braving the risks of catching the virus to sit for their PSAC exams, I feel so sad . All these struggles for very little returns. That's the reality of our education system that has ended up being very costly both in efficiency and effectiveness. The education system, that has served us so well in the past, can no longer foot the bill; it has serious weaknesses that are inadequate for meeting our future needs and it perpetuates inequalities in opportunity .
A friend rightly expressed his incomprehension to see parents sending their kids for university studies for degrees/masters that have absolutely no future.
It has a lot to do with an education system that continues to emphasise rote memorisation and fails to teach practical applications or to instil creativity. Even at university level , it is the same ; our universities are merely churning out degree holders to join the ranks of unemployed and underemployed; -“one graduate per family”(sic); creativity and innovation are not that important and we should not thus be surprised if only few of our students opt for STEM.(Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.)

The emphasis on rote learning must go; performance and relevance of the higher education system depend on its ability to provide learning and life-long learning to a broad cross section of citizens, to advance national proficiency in maths and science and to create an adaptable labour force as well as to develop a national appreciation for discovery, entrepreneurship and the creative process. The explosive success of universities in some few countries stems at least in part from the fact that they are treated not merely as economic units but as guardians of the souls of their people; they nourish both hearts and minds.

Advancing a system of education that will meet our future needs will require that policymakers, business leaders and the main stakeholders of our education system rededicate themselves to creating comprehensive learning and discovery environments, design entirely new models and methods of teaching - including the profound changes needed in either curriculum or teaching methodologies that are adaptable to the different learning abilities of students-and then take action to implement them .

You pay teachers peanuts u will get monkeys and the curse of private tuition; in Finland for e.g, the most highly paid job is that of a primary school teacher(highly qualified) not bureaucrats .U want creativity and innovation-recruit the best of our graduates, pay them like our CEOs and catch our kids at their tender age -pre-primary and primary. And we have to understand the centrality of teachers in the education system and improving our education system begins and ends with great teachers. For years we have been fighting against the wage structure that has been imposed by a bureaucratic elite (and its lackeys) through its instrument -the PRB. See my article titled "Overhauling the education system " that dates back to 2015 -http://rchand00.blogspot.com/.../overhauling-education...

But who is listening ? Here, they are more interested in implementing populist policies-low quality useless pre-primary to tertiary education -free for all (sic). What is even more unnerving is that they are a making a mockery of educational reform ; some mere cosmetic changes to the exams system, the structure .....(academies, extended stream etc) are not the kind of reforms that will overhaul the whole system to deliver an education that offers a new, constructive and exciting broader dimension for the 21st century knowledge society; an overhaul that will need huge investment in human resources especially in addressing the inefficiencies and widespread inequities in learning opportunities and outcomes in the primary and secondary levels via a more cooperative education approach that raises the average from the bottom rungs such that it brings about a profound effect on the overall result.

Indeed, the educational reform is a formidable challenge. The way the authorities are going about it will lead us nowhere. Look at the way that they are approaching the challenges of combining a specialised academic programme with the provision of adequate vocational training. There are enough of indications that we are heading towards a dead end.
A rethink is necessary. (L'express just published that " Rs 417,350 pour les conseillers de la ministre Dookun-Luchoomun"-Zot pé baize nou kas !!!)