The merits of rural vs urban schooling
Titchfield High School
ADDRESS: Fort George Street, Port
Antonio, Portland
FOUNDED: 1786
PRINCIPAL: Richard Thompson
Nicknamed the ‘Stars of the east’, Titchfield High has been distinguishing itself both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities over the years. One of the more recent and most notable examples is with Schools’ Challenge Quiz, having made it to the finals in 2011. Prior to that they made it to the semi-finals in 2009.
Sited on a fort, with a strip of beach all its own, Titchfield provides a historic and natural environment that is conducive to learning. The discussion with the head students considers the view of a disparity existing in education between rural and urban high schools in Jamaica.
HEAD BOY: Devonshae Webleyy
DOB: May 18, 1998
CAREER ASPIRATION: Public Health Inspector
HEAD GIRL: Christina Williams
DOB: March 10, 1997
CAREER ASPIRATION: Diplomat,
Executive Director of a United Nations agenc
C&E: Do you believe that there exists a disparity in education between rural and urban schools?
CW: To state it as such would be a gross generalisation, but I do believe there is a disparity between traditional and non-traditional high schools and both types are found in rural and urban areas (Munro is a traditional high school in a rural parish, for example). However, I think disparities between schools are largely reflected in the concentration of opportunities in one area or school in comparison to a great scarcity in others. There is usually no equal distribution of exposure to opportunities such as financial aid, development of talent and involvement in certain co-curricular activities. This stunts development of the students and limits their ability to reach their maximum potential and may prove detrimental later on in life.
C&E: Why do you think this disparity exists?
CW: I think there is no single factor. From my experience working with the assumed ‘top class schools’, I know that the standards a school has set for itself and which are set by others go a long way in determining what opportunities are afforded to the students. Schools, rural or urban, must instil a sense of pride and drive in their students that they may transcend any barriers and bridge any disparity, as we are doing here at Titchfield.
C&E: Do you think resources are dispersed equitably among rural and urban high schools?
DW: Though I don’t necessarily think that there is a disparity, the urban schools do have more access to resources than rural schools. But I don’t think our perspective should be based on the disbursing of resources. It should instead be focused on the proper use of these resources, which I think is the weakness in our urban schools. They have so much access to resources, yet they are not using them properly, which is to their disadvantage.
C&E: What are some of the challenges that students attending rural schools face?
DW: I believe that students who attend rural schools are at no disadvantage, just as those who attend urban high schools.
CW: Some students have to travel from considerable distances to school and this limits their ability to participate in after-school activities. The lack of exposure to opportunities as elaborated on earlier and the general stigma associated with rural areas as ‘country’, ‘back-a-bush’, and the description of their institutions as such. The reality is that most of the high-profile schools are found in urban areas or at least the cities/capitals of rural areas and as such they become the measuring stick by which rural schools are judged. Unfortunately, most times these rural schools cannot meet these standards, sometimes due to lack of resources and this may strongly demotivate students.
C&E: What are some of the advantages to be gained from attending rural schools?
DW: Some rural schools, not Titchfield specifically, have a small population of students. This small population fosters a greater degree of learning within schools. When there are fewer people in the classroom, the teacher becomes more efficient and can then tend to more of the concerns of the students.
CW: First, there is the likely possibility of getting a good healthy meal of ground provisions as a staple option. Secondly, the schools are usually less fraught with violence and tension from societal demarcations, and depending on the location, there might be fewer instances of overcrowding. I also think that the physical and social environment is usually more relaxed and students pursuing science areas, especially agriculture and environmental science, greatly benefit from the green surroundings. Rural schools also provide encouraging environments for the formation of outdoor clubs such as 4-H and the development of skills such as woodwork and horticulture.
C&E: What of the quality of teachers in rural schools? Is it comparable to urban schools?
CW: I think the teachers of both types are qualified or else they would not have been employed. However, due to the difference in environment and resources available, the techniques of teaching may be different. I have realised from my numerous visits to urban schools that the environment is faster-paced and more competitive and so less time is spent on actual teaching but rather discussions of material already perused by the student within a time frame given by the teacher. There is also more reliance on technology than in the rural school and the emphasis on completion of the syllabus rather than on contact time as is the case of the rural school. The contact time is integral to the technique of the rural school as many times it’s the teacher’s single text book which a class of 40 has to utilise. Hence, if there is no contact time the majority of the information will not be passed on.
C&E: How about the type of students? Is it that most of the so-called bright students are sent to traditional Corporate Area schools while the others attend rural schools?
DW: No, students are placed at high schools of choice according to the rank of their passes in their GSAT examination.
CW: Wherever a child chooses to attend school, once his/her average is satisfactory and there is space available, they should be allowed admittance, rural or urban. Therefore this isn’t causation to the disparity but rather the inability of government to develop all high schools to the same satisfactory level. Humans by nature are opportunists, therefore opportunities and resources must be equally disseminated among all schools resulting in a truly equitable and inclusive education system.
C&E: Do you think the way students are placed at GSAT (with the higher-ranked students being placed in the schools of their choice, usually Corporate Area high schools) contributes to a disparity?
DW: Our GSAT placement system is perfectly fine. This placement system encourages our nation’s children to work towards their goals in life. We oftentimes hear the philosophy ‘hard work is the key to success’ but don’t pay keen attention to it. Instead of repeating it, we should live by it and make it our life’s manual. It is not where you go that defines you, but what you do when you get there.
C&E: Why do you think students’ choice of schools are usually Corporate Area traditional high schools?
DW: The choice of school is usually Corporate Area high schools as they believe that those schools produce more passes than the others. However, this is a negative perception that has to be nipped in the bud. The institution does not make the individual; rather the individual, through hard work, excels within the institution.
C&E: How can we make rural high schools more attractive?
CW: We can make them attractive by simply providing more exposure to opportunities for the students and more resources, especially textbooks and technology. The media has to also make a greater effort to include rural schools when it recounts various schools’ achievements. The schools themselves also have to undertake in-house assessments of their failures, such as provision of more varied subjects especially in the linguistics and science departments; varied sports, like swimming and badminton instead of limiting it to the regular activities; actively find information to share with the students and advertise their product of a noble educational institution to the community and surrounding areas as often as possible and through various means.
C&E: As students, how can you help in this regard?
DW: We can help by simply assisting each other in our courses of study. I believe each one can reach one and by extension, teach one. That way we can all achieve our life goals together.
CW: We must also support ongoing initiatives and participate in any positive activity that will build the image of our respective schools. We must share any opportunity we may come across us even if we ourselves cannot benefit from it and have a good deportment that will definitely reflect on the school. Then finally when our tenure has ended, we must return as past alumni and offer our support where possible.
C&E: What do you do to make yourself competitive?
DW: To make myself competitive, I guarantee that I stand out in all that I do. I ensure that whatever activity I partake in, whether extra-curricular or academic, is done to the best of my ability so that my family and my peers will be extremely proud.
CW: I make myself competitive by surrounding myself with great people whose invaluable mentorship and the offering of pieces of themselves would have helped to form the person I am today. I want success as much as I want to breathe but I decided long ago that greatness was not a construct unattainable until after university so I chose my path through advocacy and volunteerism. Today, I am Miss Teen Jamaica United Nations, a leader in two national organisations (National Secondary Students Council and National Youth Council of Jamaica), a World Bank and a Governor General Ambassador, a part of the Commonwealth Students Association, adolescent chair for two UN national organisations and a facilitator for a UN global network of adolescents and youth, among many others. I didn’t get most of these opportunities by complaining that there was no exposure in Portland, but by being headstrong and actively breaking down barriers so that my fellow students may follow and continue the legacy. I don’t compete just to win. I compete to write history.
C&E: Do you plan to pursue leadership at higher levels (national or otherwise)?
DW: Leadership at a higher level is a must. For Jamaica to move forward, we must have young, well-thinking Jamaicans who are properly equipped to represent the students and people of Jamaica in all capacities.
CW: Yes, it is my intention to become a global leader who would have aided in the fulfilment of the 2030 agenda. I have been working on areas thus far, but would like my impact to stretch even further than it already has, hence, I am looking forward to the planning of a global project this year with my adolescent network. I think with God at my side and determination, I might just be the first Jamaican to become the next Ban Ki-Moon (United Nations Secretary General). That would be a win for a Jamaica and a win for all the rural black girls whom I proudly represent.
— Aldane Walters