Prime Minister Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit has strongly critical words for Dominica’s education system, describing the current model as outdated and detrimental to students’ development. An OPM release shared that the PM indicated at a press conference on Monday, May 26, that there are plans for an overhaul.
He stated that a national symposium would be convened in June to guide the urgent reforms, and expressed hope that these changes could be implemented as early as the upcoming school year in September.
During the press conference, Prime Minister Skerrit criticized the existing educational structure, particularly citing the curriculum for primary school students, which he described as “ridiculous” for its breadth of up to 13 subjects. He proposed a more streamlined curriculum focused on core subjects such as English, Mathematics, Social Studies, History, and Social Science. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of practical life skills, including agriculture, carpentry, art, and civics.
In his remarks, Skerrit highlighted the shortcomings of the current system, stating, “We’re not building a culture of collaboration. We’re not building a culture of cooperation. We’re not building students with analytical skills and critical thinking and comprehension.” He stressed the need for an educational approach that recognizes the diverse learning styles, talents, and intelligences of students.
The statement also said that the Prime Minister underscored the importance of extracurricular activities, such as music and sports, as avenues for fostering teamwork and collaboration among children. He warned against allowing another school year to pass in what he described as “depressing situations” for students, warning that failure to reform the system could result in the loss of an entire generation.
According to Skerrit, the education system must adapt to contemporary realities, including technological advancements and the rise of artificial intelligence, to better prepare students for the future.
This announcement aligns with ongoing efforts to modernize and improve education in Dominica, as outlined in the recent press release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
Dominica’s educational system certainly has shortcomings, one of them being the Common Entrance Exam. Grooming a children from the age of nine for this pointless examination ranks, in my mind, as a form of child abuse.
My DNO Commentary “Life Beyond the Common Entrance” delves deeper into the issue.
https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/features/commentary/commentary-life-beyond-the-common-entrance/
Whatever you do, you’ve got to introduce African Studies, African history in your schools. Both you and the good brother at UWI.
The examples are right there in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso; the only way to survive the grip of colonizers that use their foreign companies aided by IMF/World bank “aid & loans pimps” to steal all African resources for only pennies. Only now able to and start building/rebuilding thousands of kilometers of roads, hospitals, schools with their own money, real money that French companies were stealing daily with impunity and chest beating.
The results of learning African History, their history, Our history. All 3 leaders of the Sahel Alliance. Western countries have threatened them with death for doing that, but that’s exactly what Sahel leaders must do as a result of knowledge of self; without which they’d be looking at another 1000 years of French, EU theft and bullying.
Knowledge is key!
Is it true that Roosevelt has majority ownership in DNO? Just asking for a friend. I told her no but she doubts me.