STUDENTS’ performances over their time in primary school should be one of the factors guiding the yearly transfer to secondary schools.
This is the view of principal of the Parkinson Memorial Secondary School Jeff Broomes, who said he was all for “continuous assessment”.
While he believed “very strongly” in holding exams, Broomes said he was not one to “fully accept” a one-off test as the sole basis for the transfer.
Broomes said the Common Entrance Exam was not always a true test of a student’s ability, with lower than expected marks, even “failure”, possible when a talented student was ill or impacted by a “tragedy” in the family.
“A component of the allocation process should be made up from continuous assessment” of students at primary school, Broomes said during a ceremony last week at the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) to announce ICBL funding for a National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) educational programme.
He also said if students could not get into the first three or four secondary schools of their choice, “the next choice should be the school closest to your home”.
It cut down transportation costs and allowed children to get more involved in sporting activities without the inconvenience of having to travel long distances, he added. (TY)
