Golden chance for school heads to table issues

As primary school head teachers meet this week to discuss curriculum and bread and butter issues, they will be aware that the sector is in crisis.

While student enrolment has been phenomenal under the Free Primary Education, quality has been severely compromised in nearly all public schools.

Student-teacher ratios are hardly ideal, as some classrooms often have up to 80 students.

Teachers are few and the Government has played ping-pong with promises to hire temporary staff to cover the gap.

This shortage has affected key segments of primary school education, including the early childhood education.

Empty promises

Children between 3-5 years are do not get the proper foundation to prepare them for formal primary education. These are vital years when children acquire concepts and socialise.

Instead, many teachers are overworked, underpaid and demoralised that they have given up and simply go through the motions, or run small businesses on the side.

This could explain the learning challenges facing children from mid-primary level onwards.

There is no doubt that as systems go, 8:4:4 was a noble idea that sought to inculcate practical skills in children.

However, there is a growing feeling that its implementation was rushed and should have been done in phases.

In addition, the curriculum leaves children with little time to engage in co-curricular activities, critical in helping them become all-rounded individuals.

It is doubtful if one conference will ever be enough to exhaustively discuss all these issues, and it is likely they will focus on just a couple of items. However, this is an opportunity for the teachers to ventilate, network, share experiences and learn from each other.

It is hoped the ministers who will grace the occasion will not make empty promises for mere political gain, but come with concrete and practical solutions to some of these issues.