Some parents just need some help

By George Davis

The average parents of children at primary school in Jamaica need help. They're being blamed for the poor performance of students in public schools who took GSAT in 2013.

According to the Gleaner survey, the overwhelming majority of primary schools in Jamaica are halls of non-performance, Hoovering up taxpayers' dollars yet producing depressing results.

The survey shows that only four primary schools are in the top 102 based on the average score attained by students writing five papers in GSAT last year. The highest average for the more than 1,000 schools captured in the survey was 383 out of a maximum 412.

Those in the top 102 had averages ranging from a ceiling of 383 to a floor of 327. Within that band, only four primary schools can be found: Retirement Primary in St Ann, Mulgrave Primary in St Elizabeth, Jessie Ripoll Primary in Kingston, and Kensington Primary in St Catherine.

The numbers can be interpreted, if not manipulated, to tell any tale, but the real story is that primary schools across the island, especially those farthest away from the Corporate Area, are like a wallet stuffed with $5,000 notes which has fallen into a pit latrine built atop two 55-gallon drums; they're in deep doo-doo. They're deep in the stuff because the quality of their involvement in the after-school hours education of their kids is inferior to that of average parents of prep-school kids.

CRUCIAL CHANGE

If we are to accept that the average parent of a child at any primary school in the land is a working-class citizen without tertiary education or certificates from secondary schools, we can begin to understand how to make a change that will be crucial to Jamaica's educational future.

Such a parent who lacks the qualifications, competence, skill and confidence of a friend who has a child attending a preparatory school is far less likely to even attempt to assist with the child's homework.

Those parents will be pushed further into their shell if previous attempts to assist their child with homework result in all the answers being wrong and the child getting a ticking off for the abysmal quality of the effort.

All those things together combine to create, in many instances, the kind of parent who pays no attention to homework, beyond telling children that they must 'go tek up u book', when they get home from school.

Such parents are not to be stigmatised nor ostracised. After all, we could very well be talking about someone who, because of their own missed opportunities or failures as children, are hustling hard to send their kids to school to escape the fate.

So how does the education ministry assist these folks who have hearts of gold, but limited know-how, to facilitate their child's development and improvement?

The first thing is to acknowledge that this problem exists in massive proportions. Next is to go into the homes of these parents, or meet them on their farms, at their stalls or at their security posts.

Consistent support vital

Impress upon them how crucial homework is to the development of the child and how vital it is for the child to get consistent support in this regard. Explain to them that any shortcoming in their own ability to assist the child does not mean the child has to be disadvantaged.

Ask them to identify trusted members in the community who can competently assist the kids. Encourage them to go to school, pull the teacher or principal 'one-away' and explain the constraints.

Empower them to ask if special attention cannot be given to the child, early before school or after daily classes. Reinforce the point that the mix of pride and shame is toxic and could blight children's future if they allow it to block the path towards progress and development.

Crucially, explain to these parents how vital it is for them to send the child to school every day so they can maximise the benefits of that learning environment.

Those of us who emerged from primary schools, out of homes led by parents who were barely literate, know what we are talking about.

Selah.

George Davis is a journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and george.s.davis@hotmail.com.