Educational Reform

It is high time an overhaul of the "mindsets" that run the educational processes in Trinidad & Tobago is undertaken. I applaud the efforts of the local media in focussing some attention on this most pressing of issues.

Having passed through the educational system of Trinidad & Tobago, from "nursery" to "tertiary" level, I can say that were it not for the motivation and inspiration of my parents, first and foremost, then the drive of my tutors (except at UWI St Augustine where one had to excel to be noticed, or learn very quickly how to fend for oneself in light of the stoicism of some lecturers, barring a few "true" educators), it would have been a tough road to travel those 13 odd years. It is widely accepted that the training begins at home, the foundation of any solid child will be forged from a stable, supportive environment at "home".

The idea of a home has changed over the years, no longer being the two parent system that it once used to be, but evolved due to various social influences to incorporate a varied mould. The acceptance of this should be a first step in fine-tuning our system to better provide for its benefactors. A change in the dynamic at home creates a change in the psychology and behaviour of any child, so from an early stage, educators should be identifying their students core needs and moulding their approach, to facilitate a specialist technique to their teaching.

Easier said than done. It would take a dedicated educator to avoid smirking at the thought of in depth student profiling. But what of in depth teacher profiling? Is it enough for one to be deemed a "teacher" by possessing a DiPEd or BA/BsC? I think you would find that some of the most passionate, innovative, caring, studious, attentive of our educators, those at the "nursery" level are without such training, yet we indulge them, trust them!, with our babies. By no means am I saying that subject knowledge is not important, but it is certainly not the most important criteria of any educator. Not in the real world anyway. Every day teachers are being churned out like lawyers - smart, focussed, tactless. They possess no creativity, no passion, no heart, core ingredients for that most intimate of bonds between educator and student. If indeed deemed to be a problem, how do we elect teachers who, in possession of the prized BsC, can also demonstrate other key skills that, I believe, are vital to the children's education.

Psychologists should be a staple of any institution, even more so for those that harness young minds. They should be working hand in hand with every, parent, teacher, school principal, ministry director and minister in order to coordinate, discuss and train front line educators how to decipher particular learning patterns, how to evaluate and counsel students and parents alike.

A PTA meeting should never be a one-way meeting, lasting for 10 minutes. A PTA meeting should be a dedicated day, organised at the most professional level, where educators and parents are offered a platform of organised interaction, subsidised by the State, going so far as to authorise official days off for such meetings to take place, surely we can do without a perpetual annual celebration of the arrival of indentured Indian labourers or Republic day!? We should be focussing on the issues at hand- the erosion of the home dynamic, the evolution of modern societal trends, media influence, interaction that makes a difference, not just a reportage from a dog-eared "report book". The PTA should be at the forefront of such change in operation initiatives. They should be screaming for not just more books, but more care, more love.

Over the years, there have been a lot of superficial name changes, structural changes leaning towards our "godfathers" to the north (as if they are to be mimicked in any way!), but no real change in the mindset of our educators. More money does not guarantee more dedication, more respect or more care. A profound change can only be had if it is nationally recognised that we have a problem, that the administrators take the bull by the horn, lead by example and put our children's care, first.