AS the National Council on Education prepares for next year’s study aimed at determining the cause of the low CXC grades vital subject areas, a senior education ministry official has suggested that more funds be pumped into education and teacher training.

Wesley Barrett, the chief education officer in the education ministry, told JIS News that the study will help determine the true factors behind the low scores, and will give policy makers and school administrators ideas about how to fix the problem.

Barrett, who also chairs the CXC national committee, said the study will sample 60 secondary schools to investigate the impact of specific variables. These will include school administration, teachers, students, parents, the past students’ association and school resources.

The chief education officer – who has also prepared a paper on the subject, which is to be presented to the minister – is recommending certain measures that, if implemented, could significantly raise percentage passes.

Among other things, he is suggesting:

. a 20 per cent increase in per capita allocation in the education budget for the 2004/05 fiscal year;

. a 10 per cent increase in the training budget for teachers; and

. the implementation of a structured programme of continuous assessment across grades seven to 11.

The national committee monitors several CXC programmes in the island, and its membership consists of individuals from the private sector, teachers association and the ministry. It is proposing that the information from the study be used to help key education planners and policy-makers take steps to implement programmes to improve the quality of secondary school graduates.

This year, some 20,351 students sat CXC English Language at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level, but only 45 per cent passed at Grades I, II and III. This was a decline from last year, when 53.7 per cent passed out of a total sitting of 19,638 students.

In mathematics this year, only 36 per cent of the 16,795 candidates received Grades I to III. Last year it was 36 per cent of 17,124 students who sat the examinations.

In his document, the chief education officer is recommending:

. compulsory school attendance;

. that a deliberate and vigorous programme be put in place to engage more parents in their children’s education;

. urgently addressing furniture and equipment shortage; and

. ensuring continued discussions with teachers and their associations, the school boards, parent/teacher associations and the private sector on how efforts could be co-ordinated to improve the quality of education.

He also suggested that “initiatives be taken to set minimum, intermediate and advanced standards for primary and secondary students; the establishment of literacy centres; the rationalisation of technical/vocational programmes at the secondary level; as well as the establishment of a centre of excellence for primary science teaching/learning”.