THE issues in our schools range from the provision of teaching materials, through school board management, teacher compensation, teaching effectiveness, parental support, resource allocation inequities to a shared vision of the future. What is worrying is that many, if not most of the issues are over-simplified in commentaries. Often, they are also politicised.

For example, when teachers point out some deficiencies in the school system that make their work much more difficult, they are accused simply of “making excuses” for not producing. Some policymakers prematurely and without supporting data make charges about unproductivity, or otherwise set unrealistic targets to be met before discussing and agreeing with the teachers on reasonable and quantifiable relationships between inputs, teaching activities and outputs.

For example, what minimum inputs are required to produce 10 percentage points increase in the literacy rate?

One issue that is oversimplified is the claim that it is impossible to dismiss non-performing teachers. The fact is that it is possible, but there are procedures that must be followed. Many boards are loath to follow these. The procedures require that charges have to be documented, evidence produced and the accused given the right to appear at a hearing.

These and others are set out clearly in the Education Regulations 1980, but many school boards opt to follow none, or a select few. However, high-performing boards that pay attention to due process always succeed in dismissing teachers who do not perform their duties.

Non-performing boards always make excuses for inaction while suggesting that the teachers’ organisation always protects accused teachers and so makes it impossible to dismiss the latter. That is an oversimplification of the matter, or it is erroneous. I know of no case where the organisation tries to protect non-performing teachers in the face of compelling evidence against the teacher. Those who know of cases should always be bold enough to bring these to the fore. The salient point here is that many teacher- or management-related issues are oversimplified or often distorted.

This column takes the position that (1) it is very possible to dismiss teachers who are not performing their statutory duties (2) non-performing teachers should be removed from their teaching posts in the manner set out in the Education Regulations until such regulations are revised and (3) the matter of non-performing teachers should not be an issue in salary disputes since the state has the mechanisms to deal with that matter separately.

Let us visit some schools to observe situations that have a bearing on teacher and student performance. As two parents interested in getting a fix on the issues in schools we started a school visit project. Our first stop was a grade four class of 35 students in a rural township school. The classroom appeared tidy. Some of the students looked healthy and vibrant while others appeared lethargic and pale. Most were doing seatwork. The classroom space was very limited and allowed for little or no group work.

Some students at the back of the class were pushing and shoving to secure a comfortable “part of a seat” on the combination seat/desk units that were supplied to the school almost 30 years ago. We subsequently learnt that 10 of the students arrived at the school 40 minutes late and that four had earlier vandalised the seat of a bus on which they all travelled to school. They committed the act to vent their feelings about the overcrowding conditions on the bus they regularly take to school.

The teacher was just perusing the results of the grade four numeracy test. She looked worried and concerned. As we did not want to disturb her while she was in this state, we went on to another class. It was a grade five class with 40 students. Space here was also limited, but allowed for a group of 10 students to work on a project they were assigned while the rest of the class engaged in practice exercises in mathematics. At the same time, the teacher was formulating examination questions for her class while she monitored the class work.

In an initial conversation about this activity, she reflected and wondered if the payment by results advocates were to have their way on the ill-defined “merit pay”, whether she would get a good salary adjustment based on the performance of her students on her test or that of the school. She further reflected that the teachers at grades 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10 would also have to rely on teacher-made tests since there were no external and standardised tests for their grades, unlike the situation at grades 4, 6, 9 and 11. She wondered whether those hooked only on the idea of payment by results were taking account of this particular situation. We exchanged further thoughts on the matter and then left to return to the grade 4 class.

When we arrived at the class, the teacher was now more composed. She started to share with us her deep concern that the average score for her class on the numeracy test was 44 per cent. Although many students in her class named mathematics as their favourite subject, they expressed the attitude that “maths is hard, Miss”. Then she related that the school library had mostly old books, many of which were donations from the USA. Few contained relevant practice material. Her worry, too, was that the average attendance rate was 75 per cent. In agonising, she told us that she had visited the homes of almost all the students at her own expense to encourage better attendance, but the problem remained even with appeals by the principal for improvement.

She lamented that when she took into account late-coming, early closures because of water shortage, absenteeism and behavioural distractions, she realised that the students were losing altogether about 35 per cent of learning time. She often invited parents to the grade four class PTA meeting to discuss their children’s performance and conduct, but only five of the 20-odd usually turned up. As a teacher only in her fourth year of teaching, she felt discouraged and frustrated. We empathised, wished her well, pondered her “merit pay” and then made plans to visit a preparatory and a second school to have more first-hand experience.

wesebar@yahoo.com