Solutions To The Problems Presented

In my first blog post, titled “Tertiary Educational Problems” the article, The problem of the Jamaican Education System highlights the point that tertiary level education is too costly for the average Jamaican citizen to afford. This inevitably means that less Jamaican citizens will attend university, which results in fewer skilled individuals entering the working force of the island. I believe this problem can only be solved through proper planning and allocation of funds by the Jamaican government. The Jamaican government should cut back its spending on less important matters and instead give a greater portion of funding to tertiary institutions, which would lessen the burden on students. For example, this year the Jamaican government spent 57 million dollars on its “Grand Gala” festival, which only lasted for one day; I’m positive that, that 57 million would have greatly benefited its tertiary educational institutions.

      The article in my second post, Another Report on the Failing Schools Syndrome, is mainly concerned with the failing results of students of secondary level institutions. The article presents the point that “75 percent of all the secondary schools in Jamaica are underperforming”. It is extremely difficult to fathom that three-quarters of a countries’ high schools are doing poorly. However, I believe this problem can be solved or at least mitigated if the principals of all Jamaican high schools are put on a 3-year contract program, in which they are monitored and held accountable for the performance of the students. If the students do not meet the required criteria or attain adequate marks, the principals will be replaced.

      Lastly the article in my third post, Student-Teacher Ratio Needs Fixing, presents the issue of the teacher-pupil ratio in the primary level educational institutions. The article highlights the point that “The pupil-teacher ratio as published on the Ministry of Education website is 30:1 for infant schools and 35:1 for primary”. I strongly believe that fewer amount of students in a class, will greatly increase the chances that they will learn the task at hand. A lower student-pupil ratio will not only provide greater chances for individual attention but, will also make the class easier to control by the teacher. Below is a chart that I created showing, a steady decrease in student pupil ratios over the years 1971-2010, however I believe principals should continue working on this issue until the ratio is 15:1