ACCORDING TO news reports, a recent opinion was expressed about an “unnecessary” debate relative to the performance of pupils from private primary schools and those from public schools.
We now have another example of burying our heads in the sand, pretending that all our woes will vanish into thin air and thereafter all will be well.
There can be no “unnecessary” debate that focuses on the aptitude and abilities of our young people, the potential leaders and managers of our country.
Debate on the actual performance of private primary school pupils vis-a-vis the performance of public primary school pupils is quite in order if only for reasons that include the following:
1) The fact that annual budget allocations sourced from the pockets of taxpayers underwrite public primary education.
2) The output of private primary schools has consistently matched and in many instances surpassed that of the public sector grouping.
3) The need for a thorough and ongoing study of what is being done at the private level, so that updated and purposeful modalities can be integrated into the public system at the expense of hackneyed and outdated methods. Retraining?
Finally, there is already debate on whether or not the examination should be abolished. Some persons have questioned the alteration of the syllabus. Others have suggested shortened mathematics and English papers with inclusion of a general knowledge paper.
Why not let the debates continue?
– MICHAEL RAY
