SOME 9,573 students in junior high and all-age schools who sat the Grade Nine Achievement Test (GNAT) in the last academic year, had a mean score of just 40.09 per cent in Mathematics and 47.08 in Language Arts, according to the Ministry of Education.

MOLLOY... some have no interest in learning, and their parents have no interest in them learning

The performance of the students is of concern to ministry officials and high school principals alike, even as the former has reiterated efforts now underway to boost the performance of candidates.

"Some students continue to perform significantly below the mean in both Mathematics and Language Arts. The most recent programmes implemented to bolster the work of primary school teachers in these two areas are the National Literacy, Mathematics and Special Education Strategies," the ministry said in an exclusive statement to Career & Education. "Numeracy and Mathematics co-ordinators work closely with regional teams and teachers to devise and use a variety of strategies to improve skills in these areas."

Meanwhile, as is the case in other parts of the education system, the female candidates, on average, did better than the males, the figures revealed. In Mathematics, boys averaged 37.31 per cent while girls averaged 44.1 per cent. In Language Arts, the scores were 42.79 for males and 53.22 per cent for females.

However, 91.1 per cent of the students were placed in secondary-level schools, with the other 8.9 per cent placed in Student Empowerment Programmes in primary and junior high, and all-age schools.

"(There) they will receive specialised instructions based on their learning needs," the ministry said.

The GNAT is done by ninth graders in junior high or all-age schools. Most of these students are placed in these schools after doing poorly - scoring less than 40 per cent - in the more publicised Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), which determines the high school in which most students are placed.

According to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) website, there are 356 all-age schools and 90 primary and junior high schools in Jamaica.

Post-GNAT students present a huge challenge to teachers, according to principals of non-traditional high schools, where most of the students are placed.

Nadine Molloy, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS) said post-GNAT students lack support from their parents.

"Some have no interest in learning, and their parents have no interest in them learning. You could call their parents until you're blue, they are not coming (to meetings at the school)," she said.

Michael Stewart, principal of Porus High in Manchester, attested to the substandard performance of such students.
"Invariably their performance is not so high at all. They come to our school with an average of about 30 per cent," he said.

Molloy, who is also principal of Buff Bay High in Portland, added that some of the children attend school infrequently, or cut school when they do attend. She noted that it was therefore inaccurate to say that many children were "graduating" from school illiterate.

"Some (students) are lying to the ministry that they attend school. Some are only coming to school because they want a recommendation to get a passport," said the principal. "I've had students tell me they prefer to plant yam or go to coffee bush."

Stewart concurred with Molloy about the difficulties with children coming out of the GNAT.

"We find they pose a lot of disciplinary problems, and we have our hands full dealing with them. I think it arises from frustration on their part because their colleagues who would have been placed in the school from the GSAT, are performing ahead of them. That affects their self-confidence," he said.

Chief education officer in the ministry, Jasper Lawrence admitted that children coming out of all-age and junior high schools are not the best academically.

"They are not top-performers, but we are not scattering them all over the place to make them feel good. We place them in programmes where they can learn at their own pace," he told Career & Education.

Lawrence said the GNAT students are placed according to where school spaces and competent remedial teachers are available. Also, approximately 2,000 public school students are now placed in "private" or independent high schools at the expense of the government, because of a shortage of space in the public school system, he said.

However, despite the shortcomings of the GNAT students, principals agree they can do well in various fields.

"Not all students are gifted in academics, so we try to channel them into vocational areas, such as food technology, home management, woodwork, automotive repair and building construction. Sometimes they just need to know that somebody cares and helps them to identify their area of interest, and you would be surprised at how much they can achieve," said Ray Howell, principal of Edith Dalton-James High in St Andrew.

He added that many so-called slow students are talented in sports and the performing arts, so these areas are emphasised to maintain their interest in school.

Students scoring below 50 per cent in GNAT are placed in grade nine at Edith Dalton-James, while those scoring from the 50s to the mid-70s are placed in grade 10, Howell said. He added that the average score of the GNAT students was below 50 per cent.

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