Student-Teacher Ratio Needs Fixing
By Joan Lewis
There is much concern coming from the education
minister, educators and the public in general about failing schools and poor
performance of students.
While there are various steps being taken to
remedy the situation, I strongly believe the policymakers have missed a very
important area which is essential to effecting the change everyone is hoping
for in education.
The pupil-teacher ratio as published on the
Ministry of Education website is 30:1 for infant schools; 35:1 for primary,
all-age, primary and junior high schools; 30:1; 25:1 for secondary high schools
with grades seven to 11; and 20:1 for secondary high schools with grades 12 and
13.
incorrect ratio balance
As it is, the pupil-teacher ratio is higher for
pupils who need more individual attention than for those who are able to work
independently. It is impossible for pupils at infant and primary stage to get
optimum benefits in a class of 30:1 and 35:1 pupil-teacher ratio. Equally, the
teacher is not able to deliver the curriculum to its maximum requirements.
The pupil-teacher ratio should be rearranged so
that the infant school has a ratio of 20:1; primary schools 25:1; and secondary
high schools 35:1. Since teachers are paid by their qualification and schools
are staffed based on this ratio, a shift in the pupil-teacher ratio among the
schools should not require an increase in the education ministry's budget. In
attempting to improve students' performance, the policymakers must think in the
Jamaican context and make optimum use of the limited monetary resources.
Along with teachers', parents' and students'
accountability, fixing the pupil-teacher ratio will result in improved
students' performance and there would be less need for costly large-scale
intervention programmes. With manageable class size, such programmes could be
implemented by class teachers and able teacher assistants at reduced cost to
the taxpayers.
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