Contextual Review

People are an indispensable asset in the development process, and their asset value is improved by education and training. Increasingly, new economic development paths, in particular expanding service sectors are highly dependent on technical and managerial capacity. Further penetration into new knowledge - intensive services, which are the high growth areas of the future, requires a responsive education system.

The demand for a highly skilled workforce has been demonstrated by the absorption of a large immigrant workforce which represents, 53.6% of all mangers, 65% assistants managers and 52.2% of all professionals/technicians, and despite the Territory's liberal approach to assistance grants for scholarships with a high level of returning graduates, the 1991 census recorded that over 70% of all degree and diploma holders were immigrants. Meanwhile, the economy grew at an average rate of 3.4% p.a., over the past 5-6 years and achieved per capita GDP of $24,000 p.a. in 1997. (It is possible that a few persons of BVI birth, but not parentage were recorded in the 70% of immigrants' degree/diploma holders, as well as spouses of nationals. Also, some children of BVI parentage who are US nationals by virtue of birth, but reside permanently in the BVI may have been represented as well).

The education sector is intended to develop people's potential to the fullest, stimulate creative and innovative solutions to problem-solving and prepare citizens for successful living in a technological age. The process is administered through:

Early Childhood Education (Pre-School/Day Care)
Primary Education
Secondary Education
Tertiary Education

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Day Care/Pre-School (Ages 3 - 4)

Government increasingly recognizes the importance of developing the creative imagination of children especially during the formative years. It is also widely accepted that good early childhood /preschool education confers an advantage on those who receive it, which continues to manifest itself throughout primary and secondary school.

There are 15 private early childhood institutions in the Territory, with an enrollment of 395 children in pre-school activities and 240 in day care activities, totaling 635. The 1991 census indicated a possible 42.0% of eligible pre-school children were not attending any institution and that is a source of concern. Their preclusion may be on account of financial constraints; for all are fee charging establishments, and provision for lunches and clothing may be costly items for some parents.

An Ad Hoc Committee was set up in 1993, with day care personnel, parents and the departments of Education and Social Development, to establish standards and direction for the pre-school institutions.

Draft instruments developed have not yet been adopted and no mechanism exists to manage the day care/pre-school enterprise. Consequently, inappropriate facilities in some instances exist and the provision of services is propelled more from the prospect of lucrative returns, than from a quest to provide services with adequately trained personnel.

Government might do well to consider establishing at least one (1) pre-school as a model of what is expected, which would also address the need of a significant number of parents who are unable to avail themselves of that service now.

Primary Education (Ages 5 - 12)

The 1988 Review of the Education System noted; "It is evident that with one in three children failing to achieve primary school leaving certificates after seven or more years of schooling, the quality of primary education needs to be improved. The poor quality of teachers in the primary schools is seen as the main reason that the primary system fails to produce children with the necessary skills to enable them to progress to secondary education". The lack of quality teachers was underscored by the fact that 35% of teachers and principals were classified as untrained. And, in many instances, their limited academic background (in some cases only nine years of schooling) and lack of professional training made it impossible for them to be effective teachers. The Hull University part-time in-service program intended to improve teacher effectiveness and accreditation but was insufficient on account of the limited contact hours (300), weak educational background of teachers, and other factors.

(As compared to 1988 when 35% of teachers were trained, today (1998) the percentage is 70%. Education sub-committee sector paper Jan 1998). There are 16 public and 5 private primary schools in the Territory, accounting for an enrollment of 2,784 students in the public system and 92 students in the private system.

Enrollment rates at the primary school include 99% of all children between ages 6 and 9 and 97% of those between ages 10 & 16 years. Parents are therefore eager, willing and also required by law to send their children to school, but the results of that effort are not as promising as they ought to be. The annual retention rates are high, and an increasing number of 14+ students are failing Primary V assessment repeatedly, meanwhile the quality of passes is of a low standard, as is evidenced by the number of students admitted to the level 51 programme in the secondary school.

Given the extent of the problem, students remediation programs have been introduced in four primary schools in 1997 as pilot programs. This initiative is even more critical now with the automatic promotion in primary schools, and direct transfer to the high school.

A homogenous grouping system is necessary and children should be grouped and taught according to age and learning abilities. Itinerant teachers have been appointed to give guidance and support to teachers in the remedial education programs.

The current standard of primary school education experienced is not singular to this territory - though we pay the most money to obtain it (see table below). It has been observed throughout the Caribbean - which led a World Bank report (1992) to remark that ' the overall quality of schooling provided to the majority of primary school students and hence levels of achievement are widely perceived as poor.'

Maximum Salary of a Trained Graduate Teacher: 1991

No attempt is made to adjust for differences in cost of living in different countries so the comparison must of necessity be crude. However, BVI pays more than twice in many instances (some salary revisions may have since occurred in some countries - but a vast disparity in any case is noticeable).

Nevertheless, it is fair to say that one indication of achievement of the primary school is noted in the high level of literacy reported generally, which is 98% in the country. The level of preparation across different primary schools varies from school to school, and better supervision and accountability is warranted. There are instances however, where certain schools in particular, perform consistently well, so a critical variable must be the quality of instruction that is made available to students.

Secondary Education

The objective of automatic promotion into the secondary school has not been altogether achieved, as the Primary V assessment examination has acted as a barrier to unrestricted access, and some primary school repeaters stayed on well after the compulsory age of 15, eventually leaving school without the benefit of secondary education.

Other displaced primary school students are placed in the Literacy and Skills Program, which is physically on the BVI High School Campus, but differentiated by subject content, (i.e. technical/vocational skills) uniforms and expectations. The program was merged into the BVI High School in 1995, but the experiment proved unsatisfactory, mainly on account of disruptive behaviour of students and low academic achievement. They were subsequently placed in a Co-operative School Program, combining apprenticeship and evening classes in selected academic subjects.

Successful Primary V students are placed in form I at the secondary school, which is said to be "unstreamed", but in reality, students are grouped in various levels of form I, according to the results of the Primary V assessment examination.

After the first year, students at the High School take an examination which determines which of two broad streams they will enter - either the level "20" equivalent ' A' stream or Level "21" equivalent to 'B' stream. Thereafter, the students in the 'O stream take the academic subjects leading to CXC examination, and the "1" streams are channelled towards the non-academic subjects.

Unfortunately, a student who fails to enter the "O" stream because of failing English, even though he may be average or above average in other subjects, will still be placed in the (1) stream and follow the lower level courses in all subjects. This could severely compromise the overall abilities of some students.

Some consideration is now being given to rectifying the situation, as students would be promoted automatically in the High School, and not necessarily by passes in seven subjects, including English and Math to enter the next form, which has led to a number of repeaters at each year level.

There is the obvious dichotomy of enabling the majority of students to achieve an acceptable level of education, rather than being shunted aside, and at the same time pursuing academic excellence with the minority, who will be assessed at the CXC General Level regional examination.

As it now stands, regrettably, most of our children's futures are decided by age 13+, as to whether they will receive a Grade I High School Certificate and take CXC General Proficiency Level, or a Grade III High School Certificate - or Basic Proficiency Levels CXC.

Education is not merely a profession; it is a vital input in the development and economic growth processes of our country and should be approached with the same vigor, tenacity, and critical assessment as management of national and financial resources. It is not merely for short-term job placement opportunities only, but for long-term sustained growth, and every human resource is important, in a country with human resource insufficiency.

In 1997 there were 188 students enrolled in Form V, of which 180 graduated with High School Certificates. Of that number, only 72 students sat the CXC General Proficiency and only 2 candidates passed all eight subjects, and 30 passed four or more subjects, considered to be the minimum objective of High School Education.

Passes and General Proficiency Level I & II CXC 1997

The table illustrates that only 14% of students who graduated from High Schools in the Territory achieved CXC passes at General Proficiency levels I and II in five or more subjects, and might qualify for university matriculation. Similar trends have been observed in other Caribbean countries, but to the country's credit, performance in English Language, Information Technology and Math have been good, but Natural Sciences and Foreign Language, in particular have been consistently poor. A contrast with CXC, and the results of the High School Certificate program in which 53% received Grade I & II Certificates, raises certain questions as to the relative comparability and quality of the High School Certificate in relation to the CXC Certificate.

Results of High School Examination 1997 (High School Certificates)

The 1988 Review of Education noted from a sample of CXC results that only 5 out of 18 students might have qualified for University matriculation. However, the percentage of students gaining Grade I and II Certificates were represented as 45.8% and 19.5 respectively. They concluded, from their comparison that, "either one examination was too difficult or that the other is of doubtful validity." The picture has not changed remarkably since that time.

There may of course be other mitigating circumstances affecting the performance of students, such as time devoted to preparation for both examinations, as well as emphasizing one over the other, and recovery time from one examination before proceeding to the next.

They concluded that scholarships should be more appropriately awarded for "Further Education", rather than academic excellence, if they are awarded primarily "on the strength of the High School Certificate". The point is that academic excellence should be encouraged, so that nationals can be admitted to world class institutions of learning abroad to prepare themselves for the 21st century competition in a Global market place driven by technological innovation. The High School Certificate is best suited as evidence of five years of study, and need not necessarily be graded unless they have currency elsewhere.

The results of BVI Secondary Schools in the CXC Examinations are therefore a cause for concern, even though by regional standards, we measure up reasonably well. My contention is that the system is well provided with a high proportion of qualified graduate teachers, many of whom are trained, and that on the strength of this concentration of talent, one would expect better returns from the system. (See table below)

Secondary School Teachers: Academic and Professional Training: 1990

Therefore, the issue is not provision of qualified teachers, but the 'quality' of teachers who are being recruited or elevated in the system by paper credentials; and it needs to be emphasised that: WHAT and HOW teachers are taught, is essential to WHAT and HOW students learn. The institutions from which training is obtained must therefore be re-evaluated, for we will end up expecting children to LEARN what we don't educate teachers to TEACH.

A sound education is a prerequisite for teaching. And, while subject matter must be thoroughly mastered, and presented, good teachers will do much more than assign workbook exercises. They will teach in investigative ways, continually assessing what their students are learning - and know which remedial strategies to use. The other component is critical selection and recruitment of a cadre of highly successful and committed teachers from selected regional institutions to work in the system and act as models for the others, and also to strengthen the overall performance of the school in weak subject areas. Given that at the secondary school level, there is only one (1) major senior high school, and two others with less than 20% of the school population, the impact would be immediate and significant.

Per Capita Costs of Secondary Education

An examination of per capita costs of secondary education shows that approximately $3,584 per annum was spent on each child in 1997, as compared to $1,204 ten years previously. Yet, the school enrollment has only grown during the intervening period by 323 students indicating a growth rate of 2.7% p.a. While the Territory's revenues have continued to grow, the proportionate sums allocated to education have contracted from 15% of the budget in 1987, to 9.6% in 1997. Typically, 80% of the recurrent expenses ($10,079,588) reflect increased wages; and line items account for the balance with the provision of Social Security Services being the highest expenditure item of $152,000 p.a.

Tertiary Education

Tertiary education enrollments have been increasing steadily over the past 8 years, and more especially since the establishment of the H. L. Stoutt Community College.

Tertiary education typically includes all post-secondary education, except university education. It includes full and part-time teacher education, technical/vocational programmes, and General Certificate of Education (GCE) A level courses, as well as formal and non-formal skills training offered by public institutions, employers, private institutions and NGOs, (World Bank 1992).

The information regarding available funding to both public and private sectors, and its distribution across particular areas of training is not available.

The primary reasons advanced for post-secondary education were:

1. To increase the capability of the local work force to compete successfully in the changing employment market.

2. To provide access to life long education and training opportunities.

The HLSCC (Community College) which was established in 1991, offers associate degrees and at the moment a very limited range of vocational training courses for adults.

During 1994-1997, there has been a steady increase in the enrollment of students at the college, between the ages of 21-30 years. For that period, 158 students graduated from college: 65 received Associate Degrees; 72 received certificates of achievement in field such as Computer Studies, Corporate and Administrative Trusts. The College also offers a wide range of credit and non-credit courses.

SUMMARY

Quality Assurance:

The key factors determining quality in education are:
(1) Teachers
(2) Management Systems
(3) Curriculum
(4) Physical Facilities

Facilities:

Physical facilities for schools in the Territory have been substantially upgraded, but the provision for separate junior and secondary schools in proximity to each other at the BVI High School has not yet been implemented. Consequently, there are space constraints regarding science laboratory facilities for both lower and upper secondary forms, and the absence of a language lab, gymnasium and auditorium facilities.

Curriculum:

The High School curriculum continues to be upgraded, to utilise business, vocational and technical subjects, but the latter in particular needs to be strengthened and geared towards international standards.

Management:

Management systems are particularly weak or non-existent, and there is little evidence of managerial leadership of the education enterprise: planning, evaluation or monitoring—or the provision of a developed information database which would enable those functions.

Teachers:

Academically qualified teachers are fairly well represented throughout the system, but perhaps the academic and curriculum content from certain institutions, as well as the absence of a highly selective recruitment process, has impaired the delivery of a high standard of instruction to students. Teaching materials and textbook are usually available, though not always easily affordable.

Special Education:

Specially challenged students are taught in a separate facility for half-day, but the numbers (8-10) are small. No thought or discussion has been given to integrating some of them in the normal school enrollment, beginning in the primary school.

Marginality:

Finally, the issue of male marginality has become of serious concern, as there are rapidly declining numbers of boys who eventually make it through to high school, and fewer yet achieve creditable CXC results. A re-examination of the socialization process, as to becoming male, as well as the attractions of the street, and the desire for access to immediate cash seem to be among the driving forces often resulting in the sale or use of narcotic substances by young men leading to eventual incarceration.