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Despite achieving seven CSEC subjects …
Published: Saturday | May 18, 2013
LeAnn Lewis plays the guitar.-Photo by Karen Sudu
Glenmuir fourth-former might not be allowed to graduateKaren Sudu, Gleaner Writer
OLD HARBOUR, St Catherine[/
LEANN EBONY Lewis copped grade one in English language in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) at age 12.
In fact, nearing the end of her fourth-form year at Glenmuir High School in Clarendon, the 15-year-old, who now has seven CSEC subjects, might not be among the institution's 2014 graduates.
"The school rule is that if you don't sit English and math in your fifth-form year, you cannot graduate," principal Monacia Williams explained. "We are not telling her to sit it over, we are just telling her that she cannot graduate."
LeAnn also obtained a grade-three pass in mathematics when she sat the exam as a second former; however, her ]mom, Shirley Lewis, said that while she would be resitting that subject, there was no plan for her to resit English.
"When she got the grade one in English, I sent a copy of the result to the principal and she called and congratulated us and asked what our intention was for her, and Lascelles (LeAnn's father) told her that it was our intention to allow her to do as many subjects as possible," Lewis explained.
Lewis, who operates the Blackwood Gardens Advanced Miracle Learning Centre in Old Harbour Bay, raised the issue at a recent Gleaner Community Forum held at the Social Development Commission's St Catherine Parish Office in Spanish Town.
"I wonder if education is a shackle," she remarked.
Lewis later explained to The Gleaner that she didn't think it was fair for a child to be penalised for achieving academic excellence at any given time.
"LeAnn was told some time ago that if she didn't do it (English) over, she would be penalised; she would not be graduating and would not be going to sixth form. For somebody who hasn't done wrong, and is doing well academically, to say she would be penalised is a very strong word," said Lewis.
parents know rules.
However, the principal said that LeAnn's parents were cognisant of the school's rules governing graduation from the initial stages.
"Every child is given a handbook free of cost at the beginning of their school career. It states quite clearly that in order for a student to be allowed to graduate that student has to do English and math in their fifth-form year," Williams said.
According to Williams, she had advised LeAnn's father from she obtained English that it would have been better for her if she did all her subjects at one sitting.
"This situation came up long ago when I said to the father it is not doing your daughter any favours for her to be doing CSEC subjects every year, because she might be very bright. In order for her to qualify for a scholarship, she will have to show that she did all of these subjects at one sitting," said Williams.
At the same time, principal of St Jago High in Spanish Town, St Catherine, Sandra Swyer-Watson, told The Gleaner that while her students were encouraged to sit their subjects in fifth form, sitting math and English was not a criterion for graduation or sixth-form placement.
"We don't have that rule here, that's not part of our graduation criteria; what affects the students graduating is attendance at school, if we think a child's conduct is not suitable for St Jago High school, deportment and so on," explained Swyer-Watson.
In the meantime, president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, Clayton Hall, described the specific rule governing graduation at Glenmuir as "illogical".
"We do not believe that students should be penalised for doing well. The JTA is of the opinion that no child should be disenfranchised because that child has chosen to achieve the stated objective early," commented Hall. "In fact, we are a proponent of a competence-based education which indicates that students are successful when they've mastered concepts; it does not matter when these concepts are mastered," Hall, principal, Spanish Town High School, told The Gleaner.
Published: Saturday | May 18, 2013
LeAnn Lewis plays the guitar.-Photo by Karen Sudu
Glenmuir fourth-former might not be allowed to graduateKaren Sudu, Gleaner Writer
OLD HARBOUR, St Catherine[/
LEANN EBONY Lewis copped grade one in English language in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) at age 12.
In fact, nearing the end of her fourth-form year at Glenmuir High School in Clarendon, the 15-year-old, who now has seven CSEC subjects, might not be among the institution's 2014 graduates.
"The school rule is that if you don't sit English and math in your fifth-form year, you cannot graduate," principal Monacia Williams explained. "We are not telling her to sit it over, we are just telling her that she cannot graduate."
LeAnn also obtained a grade-three pass in mathematics when she sat the exam as a second former; however, her ]mom, Shirley Lewis, said that while she would be resitting that subject, there was no plan for her to resit English.
"When she got the grade one in English, I sent a copy of the result to the principal and she called and congratulated us and asked what our intention was for her, and Lascelles (LeAnn's father) told her that it was our intention to allow her to do as many subjects as possible," Lewis explained.
Lewis, who operates the Blackwood Gardens Advanced Miracle Learning Centre in Old Harbour Bay, raised the issue at a recent Gleaner Community Forum held at the Social Development Commission's St Catherine Parish Office in Spanish Town.
"I wonder if education is a shackle," she remarked.
Lewis later explained to The Gleaner that she didn't think it was fair for a child to be penalised for achieving academic excellence at any given time.
"LeAnn was told some time ago that if she didn't do it (English) over, she would be penalised; she would not be graduating and would not be going to sixth form. For somebody who hasn't done wrong, and is doing well academically, to say she would be penalised is a very strong word," said Lewis.
parents know rules.
However, the principal said that LeAnn's parents were cognisant of the school's rules governing graduation from the initial stages.
"Every child is given a handbook free of cost at the beginning of their school career. It states quite clearly that in order for a student to be allowed to graduate that student has to do English and math in their fifth-form year," Williams said.
According to Williams, she had advised LeAnn's father from she obtained English that it would have been better for her if she did all her subjects at one sitting.
"This situation came up long ago when I said to the father it is not doing your daughter any favours for her to be doing CSEC subjects every year, because she might be very bright. In order for her to qualify for a scholarship, she will have to show that she did all of these subjects at one sitting," said Williams.
At the same time, principal of St Jago High in Spanish Town, St Catherine, Sandra Swyer-Watson, told The Gleaner that while her students were encouraged to sit their subjects in fifth form, sitting math and English was not a criterion for graduation or sixth-form placement.
"We don't have that rule here, that's not part of our graduation criteria; what affects the students graduating is attendance at school, if we think a child's conduct is not suitable for St Jago High school, deportment and so on," explained Swyer-Watson.
In the meantime, president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, Clayton Hall, described the specific rule governing graduation at Glenmuir as "illogical".
"We do not believe that students should be penalised for doing well. The JTA is of the opinion that no child should be disenfranchised because that child has chosen to achieve the stated objective early," commented Hall. "In fact, we are a proponent of a competence-based education which indicates that students are successful when they've mastered concepts; it does not matter when these concepts are mastered," Hall, principal, Spanish Town High School, told The Gleaner.
Maybe they would have been supportive of this madness as well?
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