Thursday, March 28, 2024

Marking SBAs part of classroom duties

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THE Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) has duped the brand new president of the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) if he believes that teachers’ refusal to mark the (school-based assessment) SBAs will not negatively impact the children of Barbados. He needs to brief himself fully on the issue.

Sixteen Caribbean governments have agreed on the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) as their national examination body.

Sixteen Caribbean governments have agreed the examinations should comprise an internal assessment component in line with the subject syllabus for most subjects, that is taught, set and marked by the subject teacher, followed by a traditional external examination that is set by the CXC. Sixteen Caribbean governments already pay their teachers monthly to teach and assess their classes in line with the CXC syllabus.

For the last seven years, the BSTU has failed to rally their fellow Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) members on this issue, CXC has refused to meet the BSTU and CXC will refuse to meet the NCPTA.

As an official CARICOM organ, the council does not engage in direct contact with principals, candidates, parents, guardians, or teachers. All enquiries must be directed to the council via the office of the local registrar.

But no meeting is required, as there is no case to be heard. All children in full-time education institutions follow the CSEC and CAPE examinations. A marked SBA is mandatory for most of their subjects.

Their class teachers have the latitude to set and mark the topics for the SBA component in line within stipulated guidelines, as part of their regular classroom duties. If SBA marks are not submitted by schools on time, the student receives an ungraded result.

The private school teachers at St Winifred’s and the like will be marking their children’s school-based assessment.

The process is being followed by 15 other Caribbean governments. If teachers in Barbados do not, this will jeopardise the examination results and future plans of the majority of children.

Mary Redman and fellow BSTU members, Pedro Shepherd and the Barbados Union of Teachers who appear to be blind followers, please let common sense prevail.

NANCY CULPEPPER

 

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