St Vincent and the Grenadines celebrates 'education revolution'

The former Richmond Hill Government Primary School

Dr Ralph Gonsalves	Arnhim Eustace

by Kenton Chance
Caribbean Net News Correspondent

Monday, September 12, 2005

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent: The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines staged a rally on Friday afternoon in Richmond Hill, Kingstown in celebration of the accomplishment of “universal secondary education”.

Among other things, the rally heard addresses from Prime Minster Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Education Minster Clayton Burgin and will include cultural performances by a number of Vincentian artistes.

The rally took place at the Richmond Hill Playing Field, near a school zone in the capital, yards away from the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, formerly the Richmond Hill Government [Primary] School.

The 2005-2006 school year began last Monday with every student who wrote the Common Entrance Examination (CEE) having been officially placed in a secondary school.

However, Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace said some students were being put into the system without proper preparation and much regard for their own future.

“I am concerned about the number of persons who have been pushed into the system, who do not have the necessary background to continue in that system unless you have a lot of remedial work. And I do not believe that remedial work for one month can correct the deficiencies of six or seven years,” Eustace said while speaking on his party’s radio programme.

What was heralded as accomplishment of “universal secondary education” is part of what the governing Unity Labour Party promotes as an “education revolution”.

The “revolution” necessitated the conversion of three primary schools into secondary institutions and the construction of temporary and permanent structures at existing secondary school to accommodate a larger Form One population.

Chief Education Officer Susan Dougan last week said 3161 students wrote the CEE and 3175 students had been placed within secondary schools.

Of the 700 students who wrote the School Leaving Examination 481 were placed within secondary schools and multi-purpose centres across the country.

The School Leaving Examination, which became redundant this year, tested students who had failed the CEE and had been required to spend two years at the “senior” level within the primary school, the equivalent of Grades 7 and 8.

Dougan said the multi-purpose centres will offer a full-time “balanced course” which “will follow the usual programme that most of the other secondary schools are following.”

This programme, among other things, includes English, Mathematics, Science, Health and Family Life Education, Physical Education, Social Sciences and, creative arts.

Dougan said that the Ministry of Education will not phase out the CEE at this time since it is needed to analyse students’ ability.

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