Ministry of Education expresses concern about performances in mathematics

Saint Jean

Minister for Education Petter Saint Jean believes the second National Mathematics Contest and the first National Excellence Principal’s Award for both primary and secondary schools is another step towards
improving and refining the quality of education that is being delivered here.

The Education Minister expressed those thoughts as he addressed the launching of the two major events on April 1, 2011.

The purpose of the Mathematics Contest and the National Principals’ Award was designed to provide the Ministry of Education with an opportunity to identify excellence within the school system.

Saint Jean said that his Ministry is committed to taking education to the next level.

“From the perspective of my office, both are strategic policy instruments that must be managed effectively and efficiently so that we may benefit from improved student output and its related outcomes and impact,” he said.

The minister added that when students are unable to cope with mathematics at higher levels, they develop a dislike for the subject and that is a concern to the Ministry of Education.

“We are compelled, therefore, to rethink the way that we teach mathematics. The Ministry of Education is very sensitive to these results and we accept that one of the first steps in addressing them is to improve the teaching skills and tools of our mathematics teachers and the supervisory skills of our principals. That is why
under the Education Enhancement Programme, this year, the Government of Dominica is awarding 12 scholarships to teachers in secondary schools to pursue a first degree in mathematics. We believe this will augment their skills and so reflect on the ground in the various schools,” he said.

Additionally, the Government of Dominica, in recent years, has provided 95 percent financial assistance to teachers pursuing a mathematics degree at the University of the West Indies.

The Ministry of Education’s vision is to provide quality education for the sole purpose of human resource development.

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14 Comments

  1. Nudibranch
    September 6, 2012

    So long as you have people in front a class with no qualifications, then how do you expect standards to rise?
    People seem to think that sending your child to school is sufficient, ever stopped to help with homework and in the case of the younger students, read to them or help with reading. Blame who you like, but ultimately as a parent, if your child is behind, it is up to you to help at home, not expect a teacher with 29 other kids to look after to polish your offspring.
    Education doesn’t start and stop when they walk in or out of the gate. Parents need to take an active role in helping their child at home too. Yes you come home tired and want to rest, but taking 30 minutes to attend to homework is time well spent ensuring your child s future, and far far better than wasting your time on Facebook or some other vacuous black hole.
    The deplorable math situation is due to the fact that those hard working teachers in many cases are poor in maths and pass on their phobia. rest assured, our 28% pass rate is still higher than Antigua.

  2. is free-niss i like!
    May 9, 2011

    to all the students out there that have decided to waste their time– you just better start learning! you think its a bed of roses that is there out in the world waiting for you? you better think again!

    you are seeing how hard your mothers (sometimes fathers) have it providing you with everything and staying without just that you can go to school.

    if nothing motivates you to learn then this will
    is misere and poverty you like? you dont know that an education is a way out of poverty?

    you mean to tell me you are comfortable with sleeping on a bed or on the floor with two or more siblings?

    you like the fact that you dont know your dad or that he sends you stuff once a blue moon?

    you are comfortable with the economic struggles your parents face at home- with very litle to eat?

    well if you dont like it then get your arse to the table and do your school work! and i mean now. what you waiting for? hop to it!.

    and you better not return from school tomorrow with anything less that B+

  3. go 2 school and learn well
    May 9, 2011

    the thing is— it appears to be so—- that students dont want to learn anymore.
    things have been made so easy for them that they take them for granted.

    but i must say homes where parents are helping their children– these children are doing better than those unsupervised.
    so parents have 2 pull up their socks and play an active role in their children ‘s education.

  4. for real
    April 11, 2011

    not everybody with degrees can teach well. teachers in the classroom are better than all those with how many titles after their name. i agree, give jobs to ppl who deserve it and can do the job well. maths is an exciting subject but some untrained teachers, especially at high school , make it boring so students fail. right now that ministry have too many people in charge of this and that and they know little about wat they doing starting with the minister. we can get excellence if we recognize those worhty of doing their jobs well.

  5. HUMPH
    April 11, 2011

    When you all start to give the DEO jobs to the people that deserve it and not cronies we will see improvement. Give the awards to principals that deserve them for the hard work and not cronies and focus on mathematics in primary more not secondary cause when most reach secondary they already hate maths.

    • Ms.12C Education Improve!
      April 11, 2011

      I feel u on that Big time…especially @ Primary School level. The Mad curriculum they have there that confusing the teachers more than it helping them help the children is where they need to start revising.

  6. Person
    April 11, 2011

    to much non sense thing like algebra making children doh want to learn…..wat algebra have to do with working by wit-church or working in a Chinese store, that is where most will end up because of lack of the opportunities nowadays..start teaching mechanics in highschool..

    • wrong priorities
      April 12, 2011

      u said it all wi,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i kana comment again………..is so tru….

  7. Sprinter
    April 11, 2011

    Mr. Goldberg has been a valuable resource in education. Excellent mathematics teacher. We need to stop being so prejudice in our accessment of things. Our standard of education will drop if we fail to hold ourselves and our students to a certain standard. As educators, we have to realize that our our students’ failure is our failure, so we have as a community, to dig our heels in and work even harder. This will require all stakeholders to play their part, parents, teachers, prinicpals,etc. How often do our teachers get supervised by their department heads or ministry of education officials? We seem to be afraid of each other in Dominica and friendship seem to take precedence over everything, so many of us become non-productive. Gone are the days when only a select number of students gained access to secondary education, so we have to diversify the options that are presented to the students in order to ensure the success of as many children as possible. Most schools offer students mainly an academic stream, yet many of our students are not cut out for the academic stream. What of the wordwork/joinery,electronics, art, why not teach the basic skills assciated with these trades from high school. Some of these technical subjects are offered at some schools, but what of the students at the schools where these are not offered. The minster is correct, we have to deliver the content in way that are more palatable to students. Times have changed and so we should roll with the changes.

  8. Muslim_Always
    April 11, 2011

    Always blame the teachers and not blame the lack of discipline amongst students these days. How comes before this was not an issue?

    It is happening in many subjects, English, Science etc. Our standards of education has dropped. Send this jew Goldberg back to his country. People like these people are a thorn in our education system!

    • nah man
      April 11, 2011

      It was always a problem. Just that before we used to stop most of those that couldn’t do well at math and science, at common entrance. Btw would you keep Goldberg if he wasn’t a jew?

      • Muslim_Always
        April 11, 2011

        I wouldn’t have assigned Goldberg in the first place. The reality is our standards have dropped. If you cannot see that then there is nothing else I can say to you.

        • Humanist
          April 11, 2011

          But why call him a Jew at all if you weren’t against him, at some level, for being Jewish?

          I agree with the rest of your comment for the most part. The teachers are partly to blame in some cases, but a part of it is the students growing up in a world in which they have little desire to be anything but ignorant. To an extent, it is up to teachers to adapt to students–if schools can afford it, they should incorporate the technologies students are often familiar with, like Youtube videos or even facebook, but for educational purposes–but it gets to a point where students have to step up and take responsibility themselves.

  9. honesty
    April 11, 2011

    Appoint the Mathematics teachers who have qualified themselves. This incentive can encourage the teachers to teach more professionally, as a resulkts students will learn more.

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