Senator bats for improved performance in maths
EXECUTIVE director of the Economic Growth Council, Senator Aubyn Hill has called for improvements in the various testing stages of mathematics, saying this could result in more growth in the economy and more jobs.
At the annual ‘Amazing Mathematics Powers… PR1Med for Success Workshop’, held for primary-level teachers at Shortwood Teachers’ College in Kingston on Tuesday, Senator Hill said it is very important for every Jamaican to get involved in the Government’s effort to fix the economy, and homes can play their part by ensuring their children perform well in nathematics.
“The single-most important subject, in my view… is mathematics. Last year, we had good results, two per cent increase in Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) mathematics. This year it’s 7.6 (for public schools); it’s up by 57.8 per cent. GSAT results, he noted, have grown by 4.3 per cent in mathematics, as of March 2017,” Hill said.
“There is nothing more important to Jamaica today than growing our economy. I know crime is bad and we have to fix it, and to a certain extent we are fixing it, [but] if you do not have consistently good economic growth for Jamaica we will never be able to afford to solve crime,” he emphasised.
He said with recent initiatives launched for improvement in mathematics, such as the Professional Development Programme for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information for mathematics specialists and teacher educators — sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) — he expects to see more improvements in the subject, and teachers being better able to help students with problem solving and the demands of the subject.
“We have a US$40,000 grant from the IDB for a math programme. focus on mathematics [and] when this money comes, use it well,” Hill said as he encouraged the teachers.
The ‘Amazing Mathematics Powers… PR1Med for Success Workshop’ is being held between August 21 and 23.
Approximately 600 primary-level teachers, including those who will be teaching the Primary Exit Profile, are being trained in best practices for mathematics at the workshop.
Teachers from Belize and Barbados are also participating.
