
NDP View: NDP Will Fix Problems In The Educational Sys
Educational institutions across St. Vincent and the Grenadines are presently hosting their annual graduations. It is an exciting time for students, teachers and parents. As students exit their educational institutions, they are also preparing to enter new ones when the school year begins in September. For students who have graduated from the Community College, some will be pursing higher education while others will be entering the job market. The New Democratic Party (NDP) wishes them well.
While the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government continues to boast about its ‘education revolution’, there are serious problems that exist in the educational system that need to be fixed. Education should cater to the developmental needs of a country. This government has failed to ensure that it is so. For instance, we heard from the Prime Minister recently that the country does not have certified skilled personnel in certain areas. It means that the educational system has failed. This is so because the government did not put in place the necessary instrument to facilitate the implementation of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ).
The CVQ is part of the process of achieving certified skilled workers, promoted by the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). This CARICOM initiative was established in 2007, but it was recently more than a decade later that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has granted approval to offer CVQ. While other CARICOM countries have been offering CVQ’s at levels 1 & 2 with much success at the secondary school level, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has in effect been offering limited skills training to a small number of out-of-school youths. After twenty-two (22) years in power, Prime Minister Gonsalves would lament that there are not enough skilled tradespersons to take up jobs in our construction industry and that despite high unemployment here, the government is asked to allow foreign workers to take jobs in hotel construction.
Also, the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has failed a significant number of students. We have a high repetition and dropout rate. In comparison to the other countries in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), St. Vincent and the Grenadines has the highest repeaters and dropouts at the primary and secondary levels. For example, from the academic year 2010-2011 to 2020-2021, two thousand, six hundred and twenty eight (2628) students have dropped out of secondary schools. We must cater to the diverse needs of students by providing programs that engage students and motivate them to complete secondary school.
There are also many learning difficulties, which are not detected at an early stage. We have no system to identify those students who may have a specific learning difficulty. Without targeted remedial education, some children may fall behind their peers in numeracy and literacy. Too many of our students still enter secondary schools who are unable to read at the required level. The analysis of the National Test for Grades 2 and 4 gives us a perfect picture of how students are performing at the primary level. The Prime Minister should talk more about the results of that test. And in 2022, the pass rate for CSEC was 66.55%, in an ‘education revolution’.
It is accepted that a good education provides better options for young people and is an effective way to combat crime and other anti-social behaviour. The escalation in violent crime, especially gun-related killings, demands urgent action from the government to fix our failing education system so that it can provide positive options and more opportunities for our young people. The country needs less rhetoric from the Prime Minister and the government and more constructive action.
Our plan
President of the NDP, Honourable Dr. Godwin Friday, has outlined the following strategies. He said, his party will:
* “Ensure that technical and vocational education is well-integrated within the education system so that every child has the opportunity for a comprehensive education;
* Ensure competency-based curricula linked to the CVQ framework in all secondary schools and other suitable settings in the workplace and the wider community;
* Establish a qualification framework that enables learners to move seamlessly between “academic” and vocational qualifications in formal and informal educational settings;
* Increase opportunities for skills development and lifelong learning through vigorous and well-managed continuing education programs.
In addition to technical and vocational programs, we must teach agriculture in all primary and secondary schools. Further, to develop the whole person and promote our culture, Art, Music, Dance and other forms of cultural expression must be regarded not merely as optional courses but as essential components of a modern education. So, they must be taught at all levels and in all schools.
Education should not be an unaffordable burden for families. The rising cost of living continues to hurt families. At this time, schoolbooks, uniforms, bus fares, and daily lunches cut deeply into family budgets. We believe that VAT should be reduced to lower living costs for everyone.
Moreover, registration fees for secondary schools are too much. At a time when families are facing pressures across the board, we believe registration fees should be eliminated. CSEC and CAPE subjects must be paid by the state. Parents and students should not have to go begging friends and strangers for money to pay for their subjects. Having admitted all students to secondary school and encouraged them along the way, it makes good sense to complete the process by paying for their exams. And, for too many families, the joy of securing a place at university is dampened by the fear of expensive student loans. Our student loan rates are among the highest in the region. We have a plan to cut those rates in half to 4.5%.”
The NDP is committed to provide an educational system that caters for the development of the country, which will equip our young people for the job market with the education, skills and training for successful careers, and to establish their own businesses.
