Investigate the GSAT performance at the Salvation Army School for the Blind
Dear Editor,
THERE needs to be an investigation into the management and administration of the Salvation Army School for the Blind as the results of students who have sat the Grade Six Achievement Test in the years 2012 and 2013 have been absolutely dismal.
They show that not even one student has been placed in either the traditional or the new secondary schools.
Seeing the students have been prepared by the educators at the facility, we humbly submit that the administrative and academic staff be held responsible for this abysmal showing, and add that this is a tremendous departure from the usually high standards to which we have grown accustomed over the past three decades.
A large number of blind students who sat the Common Entrance Examination or GSAT have attended some of the leading traditional high schools in the country; such as Calabar, Jamaica College and The Queen’s School. A number of these individuals went on to attend prestigious universities. So, what has happened?
These results are even made worse in light of the fact that the Salvation Army School for the Blind is now staffed by personnel who are recipients of specialised training in handling individuals with disabilities.
We posit that present methods and/or strategies employed by the those persons responsible for the instruction of students who sit these examinations from the School for the Blind be revised, as they appear not to be working.
A lowering of the normal high standards is both unacceptable and intolerable. We strongly advocate that the Salvation Army School for the Blind be accorded due attention, like other schools whose performance has dropped below certain expectations or standards.
Do bear in mind that a physically challenged individual has to perform twice as hard as his able-bodied counterpart in order to compete in the global space. Therefore, he or she has to receive the highest level of quality training and education to carve out a worthwhile existence.
We remain anxious to hear word of an investigation into the situation and remedies applied to return the institution to one that can boast success.
Salvation Army School for the Blind Alumini
St Andrew
