Fixing the Education Dilemma

by Derrick Nicholas

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.”  Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013)

At the heart of any nation’s development strategy must be the education of its most important resource: its people.  Developing a literate and numerate population, is laying the foundation for a powerful nation, whose workforce would be able to compete globally.

So, it is therefore puzzling why more emphasis is not being paid to ensuring that students are taught to develop their literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills.  Antigua and Barbuda as well as the rest of the region have been dealing with perennial poor results in Mathematics at the Caribbean Examination Council.

We need to move beyond promises to do more if there is going to be a turnaround in these less than acceptable results.  At the heart of these poor results are students’ inability to read, and therefore comprehend.  If a student cannot read, he stands very little chance of being able to understand and therefore master mathematics.

Several studies have shown that the ‘crisis’ is at the lower end of the education spectrum.  That is to say in the formative years.  These same studies suggest that no amount of money [later on] will be enough to ‘fix’ the problem.  It is therefore imperative that more resources and attention need to be paid to giving priority to teaching foundational skills, linking learning to productivity.

As stated in a previous article, studies have shown that 80 per cent of students who struggle with mathematics come from poor or indigent families.  It is in recognition of this fact that we must now look to adopt new strategies if we are to ‘fix’ this vexing issue.  To quote an old cliché: “the numbers do not lie”.  Therefore, if we are to ‘fix’ the problem we must go straight to the cause, and stop applying a Band Aid in the hope that things will get better later on.

The greatest impact in this new paradigm will be realized when more resources are directed to early childhood and primary education.  This is where the greatest impact will be felt.  Each child must therefore learn to read, write and do basic arithmetic.  These are the foundation for productivity. 

If the problem is addressed at the start of a child’s educational journey, then there is little need for intervention later on.  The promise of an education should mean that each child leaves with the ability to read, write and can do at the very least basic arithmetic.  (This does not even begin to address the learning loss that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Therefore, we must not produce students who can neither read nor write at the required grade level.  There must also be a review of the automatic promotion system.  To be sure, this is not a quick fix solution.  Instead, it has to be a set of deliberate and sustained interventions.

ABOUT the Author: Derrick Nicholas is a Private Math tutor who is passionate about helping students.  He believes that every child should be fully literate and numerate, as well as being functionally literate in Mathematics.   

Send feedback to the author: [email protected]

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]