'Good School'

[Muadib]

Lets go with your choice of good school.. I presume that's where you would want your kids to go..

[Islandman]

Not all of them, no. There are some I consider poor schools that Jamaicans classify as "good school" for reasons I think are unimportant, if we talking about education.

[Mosiah]

Good schools are not always good schools.

Jamaica College was a good school back in the day but fell into ruin in the 90s. Yes, mi call name! What?! Di amount a gunman and wanna be badman who attended that historic institution you'd never believe. Principal Ruel Reid is trying to turn things around and is doing a good job but the academic part is still lagging. And make no mistake, that part is essential if a school wants to wear the tag of good school. Yes, mi know all a dem can fly plane and mek robot.

Then you have a Cornwall College that is undoubtedly the school of choice for western Jamaica, as is Munro College for St. Elizabeth. These schools may not be called "good" when considered nationally, but they are indeed holding their own in their neck of the woods.

Then you have schools that have grown over the years to earn the "good school" label. Ardenne is one. Rest assured this happened after X's time there. Merl Grove seems to be on a similar trajectory of late.

This "good" school thing is not a Jamaican colonial nonsense. New York City has good schools, and people refer to them as such, with the same kind of arrogance and attitude as Jamaicans do. These schools usually specialise in sciences and you may need to take a test to get in. Guyanese, Trinidadian and Bajan people also understand the concept. Correct me if I'm wrong here, Peter R.

Not attending a "good" school is not sentence of mediocrity or worse for the rest of your life. The converse is not true either. I am in awe of so many on this forum who did not attend good schools yet demonstrate intelligence, brilliance, intellect and the rest on a wide variety of topics. On the other hand, we have good school graduates who may have denied some more worthy students of a seat at these institutions.

The good school label will be with us for a while, whether we like it or not. What we should work for as a nation is to raise the level of all schools because too many of them can be classified as bad schools whose students stand very little chance of making anything of themselves.

Clearly, this is my opinion.

[Islandman]

It is not just JC of the elite colonial schools. Georges at least for a time was a pretty bad school, academically speaking. There are others of that ilk that are not nearly as good today as they are perceived to be. I would not be surprised if the other former British colonies have a similar situation. Of course, there are others like the Wolmers and Munros that have maintained a good academic standard as well as success in other areas and deserve in my view to still be considered good schools.

This is one reason why with all its flaws, I support the idea of the high school rankings list. Hopefully one day more variables like GSAT intake and socioeconomic demographics will be incorporated in the rankings.

Then there are the schools which are not performing particularly well academically but, to use Muadib's reference, would be GSAT choices for reasons other than academics (read sports)

[Assasin]

Too many people use "Good school" as a cop out. It is the line of last defense to any argument for too many Jamaicans.

Yes there are good schools and bad schools but I am just grateful for my education. Too many times you see Jamaicans use the good school argument to put down others.

[myYout]

Yuhseeit, country man nuh business bout good or bad school, ah some edimication man need fi forwod innah di irration, trait.

[Don1]

FYI and all ah unnu still yappin ignorantly about backward 20th century concepts...the "good school" label is indeed a colonial relic

Unnu still a celebrate a terminally sick & structurally deformed system where success (i.e. best exam results) is achieved by creaming off the privileged 10% of students who are well prepared in mainly prep or a few primary schools.... then dividing schools into "good" and "bad".
By default those in the disadvantaged 90% are considered "bad" and the privileged 10% "good".... dats strait up backra thinking

This good/bad social dichotomy occurs from primary thru tertiary levels... and the people who push it are part of Jamaica's education problem... in fact people like that at ALL levels ARE the problem. By promoting that good/bad school construct in the 21st century unnu reinforce the fcukery

For 200 years JC was the undisputed and prototypical champion of the colonial "good school" set. Given that history, the resources within its community and the fact that it is privately owned by a trust... JC could easily replay that colonial game by building an associated prep school, restarting boarding, admitting higher performing girls ... and other cherry-picking devices the schools we've evolved beyond use to acquire the highest performing students

Fortunately instead of reinforcing the backward system of exclusion JC has chosen to be inclusive.... Unfortunately in today's Jamaica "inclusive" still means admitting many academically mediocre boys and many boys from disadvantaged environments....but those boys now enter a superior learning and leadership environment and have much better life chances through JC

In addition... with its advanced STEM programs JC is by far the most innovative school in the Caribbean... JC is therefore a model for a 21st century education which recognizes the increasing value of tech applications and not merely the 3 Rs of the 1960s...

It is instructive that while no other Jamaican "good school" has managed to even start down this 21st century path (despite our best efforts at inspiring them) JC has already gained world recognition for it STEM accomplishments.

If unnu can name ANY Jamaican high school that competes internationally at a world class level at ANYTHING outside sports... mek mi know

While unnu stuck wid yappin about 20TH Century colonial issues.. Jamaica College = 21st Century Leadership

[Don1]

absolutely correct

people fi proud ah dem school and support dem 1000%... but the colonial ting gots to go

[Mosiah]

Yuh started out well and then it went downhill into the flag-waving thing resembling Boys & Girls Champs.

[Islandman]

"Good School Syndrome" kicked in halfway through the post

[Islandman]

The problem with your post is not evidence, it is logic or lack thereof.

[Islandman]

Thank you. I don't know why forumites are trying to brush this thing away like it doesn't have some underlying deep and unpleasant roots.

Excellent thread HL!

[Don1]

Yuh started out well and then it went downhill into the flag-waving thing resembling Boys & Girls Champs.

lol

[Don1]

"Good School Syndrome" kicked in halfway through the post

ok... point taken

The "good school" thing is appropriate to apply when the playing field is level (and not gamed) and the model is inclusive (and not structurally deformed) ... in my opinion

[Mosiah]

It does, but I hope today's students realise that the sky is the limit if they apply themselves at school even if they don't have that discriminating tag.

However, and this is my concern, they are too many schools where our students are practically doomed! If the unmotivated teacher doesn't kill the students' dreams, a stray bullet will.