SCHOOL LIMIT
by WADE GIBBONS
NINE HUNDRED AND NO MORE.
That’s the student roll limit the Government plans to fix at all secondary schools.
This is part of a major infrastructural improvement of Barbados’ educational system.
It is one of several policies outlined in Government’s Medium Term Development Strategy 2010-2014 which was prepared by the research unit of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce.
Without naming the specific institutions, the report revealed that there were presently 15 secondary schools whose enrolments exceeded their capacity.
“This is proving to be a major challenge to effectively monitor, supervise and manage such large numbers of students,” the report stated.
Some Government schools, such as Springer Memorial which has a roll of over 1 100, have over the years catered under difficult circumstances to student populations between 1 000 and 1 200. Two new secondary schools will be built to ease the load.
The report, however, noted that in light of Government’s current fiscal constraints and objectives, the proposal would be reviewed.
The report also indicated that an ICT maintenance programme would be established and would include categorisation of schools into ICT maintenance zones and the hiring of small contractors to conduct ICT repairs.
The training of over 800 untrained teachers at the primary and secondary level, as well as the expansion of the Barbados Community College Hospitality Institute, are among the strategies Government will seek to implement.
The report identified St Martin’s-Mangrove, Wesley Hall, Welches, Vauxhall, St Mark’s, Belmont, Chalky Mount and St Giles, as the primary schools which would receive major infrastructural upgrade.
A physical upgrade and modernisation of facilities at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College is also on the cards. There are also plans to establish an agricultural training institute in the north of the island.
Government also plans to strengthen efforts to deal with deviant students with the establishment of an alternative day school.
The report noted that an alternative residential rehabilitative school to accommodate a maximum of 150-200 students would be established.
Government will also implement a Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence and the Caribbean Vocational Qualification to ensure that all students leaving secondary school are certified. (Nation News)