A veteran educator is calling for more discussions to be held to find resolutions to elevate schools that are believed to be failing.
Principal of the Princess Margaret School and past president of the Caribbean Union of Teachers Dr Colin Greene made the call while speaking at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s 58th annual conference on Monday.
He said the time has come to “redefine what a good school is in the mind of all”.
“Good schools are not just those in the top academic rankings real or perceived. A good school does just not mean producing the best scores in examination. A good school’s teachers develop their students holistically, not just academically in the emerging job market.
“People are looking for people with marketable skills and that’s why some people with many degrees still can’t find work to do because they have the degree syndrome and no real skills whatsoever,” Greene said.
He asserted that every educational institution has its purpose despite how it is perceived by society.
Academic categorisation, Greene explained, negatively impacts enrolment at schools which are perceived to be underperforming.
This is why he is calling on educational officials, teachers and parents to make greater strides to bring all schools up to a specific and levelled standard.
One of those ways is getting students more interested in learning.
“You see, this is another dream that we have to work on because when every student is an engaged learner it pacifies the self-fulfillment desire that happens in teaching.
“What you think of people is how you will react to them and so if you think that students will not perform that is exactly how you will teach them.
“If you know their families and say that their father was slow then the child is going to be slow when a genius is sitting in front of you, and then we need to have every parent a supportive parent,” Greene said.
He also spoke about the importance of investing in teachers. Greene explained that there must be an emphasis in supporting teachers to be more professional, to care more about their students and their craft if the hope of attaining these equitable goals is to be achieved.