Should they abolish SEA?

[davymaraj]

hi, anyone agree that the Ministry should abolish SEA .

[Rainman]

Hwat would be the alternative method for secondary school placement? Zoning?

[davymaraj]

Maybe you can build a new lab for the school of your choice.

[hustla_ambition101]

Maybe you can build a new lab for the school of you choice.

whut?

Natio has an army

[bigchief3679]

How did abolishing corporal punishment work out for us?

[fokhan_96]

Yeah i say abolish everything. Abolish SEA, CXC, GCE, CAPE, and all tertiary education, and make it mandatory for everyone to learn how to beat pan and sing calypso. To me this is the only hope for this nation.

[Bizzare]

They should be making things harder, not easier. Survival of the fittest.

[pluggie]

Dis ched is deemed for serious LOLZ !!!

[rfari]

this year the ministry of education gave sea students the official sea essay topics to prepare for the upcoming exam. did this make news yet?

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

you all realize that the NAtional test for a standard ONE student is 75 minutes long per subject.
That's really stupid stress on a Seven year old child.

[rfari]

you all realize that the NAtional test for a standard ONE student is 75 minutes long per subject.
That's really stupid stress on a Seven year old child.

what's the purpose of the test?
what's ur recommendations to replace?

[~*Pãñdorą*~]

Get rid of SEA.. Bring back Common Entrance and do away with these damn National Tests and School Based grading.

[Bizzare]

SEA, being a one off exam is an extremely inefficient way to judge a child's intelligence. You have to factor in stress, nervousness, etc. It's not enough to judge a childs intelligence based on a one day exam.

[dougla_boy]

students shouldnt have no major exams for school placement..........should be a continuous flow till end of secondary school.....teachers and parents tend to stress out the students to study for SEA, an not learn the work properly.....

[~*Pãñdorą*~]

I'm sorry but I kinda subscribe to the whole Work yuh ass off, pass the test and get into a good school thing. Common Entrance is a good thing!

We all did it growing up and we didn't die from it. It's the way you separate the dotish from the hard working. And I'd prefer my children have hard working peers when at school.

I don't think I could stomach the idea of my 11 yr old daughter in a classroom shoulder to shoulder with guntas in training, if they decide to use zoning.

[rfari]

get rid of sea and do what?

[dougla_boy]

I'm sorry but I kinda subscribe to the whole Work yuh ass off, pass the test and get into a good school thing. Common Entrance is a good thing!

We all did it growing up and we didn't die from it. It's the way you separate the dotish from the hard working. And I'd prefer my children have hard working peers when at school.

I don't think I could stomach the idea of my 11 yr old daughter in a classroom shoulder to shoulder with guntas in training, if they decide to use zoning.

sigh......yuh real backward inno......if u wah submit to that backward thinkin, bess u find a man an forget yuh education....cook an clean whole day, if yuh get licks say thanks.....or bess we all start back to mind bull an crops and them sheit......times change, is nuh time we move from that backward educations system we have?....everybody different........supposed the child a late bloomer?

[saxman642]

Why bother to "get rid" of the SEA, when certain children long before they even write said exam already have their spots reserved in denominational schools (making whether they pass or fail irrelevant)?

Does this mean the "20% list" scenario and the concordat of 1960 going out the door too?

[Bizzare]

I'm sorry but I kinda subscribe to the whole Work yuh ass off, pass the test and get into a good school thing. Common Entrance is a good thing!

We all did it growing up and we didn't die from it. It's the way you separate the dotish from the hard working. And I'd prefer my children have hard working peers when at school.

I don't think I could stomach the idea of my 11 yr old daughter in a classroom shoulder to shoulder with guntas in training, if they decide to use zoning.

Is not about removing the assessment. SEA is not the best way to assess a child's intelligence. Think about your extremely intelligent kid who has performed excellent throughout the years in primary school but failed to perform his/her best because of the stress factor, nervousness/anxiety or careless errors in the exam. You would be one of those parents consoling your child and talking about they cheat yuh child and looking to get a transfer cuz you don't want yuh kid mingling with guntas. A proper assessment would be one that reviews the child's performance throughout their years in primary school and most importantly their behavior and ability to learn!

[~*Pãñdorą*~]

I'm sorry but I kinda subscribe to the whole Work yuh ass off, pass the test and get into a good school thing. Common Entrance is a good thing!

We all did it growing up and we didn't die from it. It's the way you separate the dotish from the hard working. And I'd prefer my children have hard working peers when at school.

I don't think I could stomach the idea of my 11 yr old daughter in a classroom shoulder to shoulder with guntas in training, if they decide to use zoning.

sigh......yuh real backward inno......if u wah submit to that backward thinkin, bess u find a man an forget yuh education....cook an clean whole day, if yuh get licks say thanks.....or bess we all start back to mind bull an crops and them sheit......times change, is nuh time we move from that backward educations system we have?....everybody different........supposed the child a late bloomer?

Late bloomers can bloom in whatever high school they did or did not pass for.
Call it backward thinking, I rather think of it as protecting my child.
Because I know for sure I'm a hardworking parent, with hard working children and I want the best for them. Not some mediocre, substandard level of education where they'll be distracted by the neighbourhood "Badboy" when they're trying to pay attention to their teachers.

[Bizzare]

As much as I find SEA to be a stupid method for school placement, I like the way it is though. The excitement waiting for results, kids crying.... at 11 yrs old it was nice seeing my peers in tears on the day of results. Then entering a "prestige" school and realizing half the population doesn't deserve to be there. Every school need a gunta or two. Its no fun when everything is done the right and fair way. Leaves no room for bobol... This is Trinidad and Tobago, not the USA.

[~*Pãñdorą*~]

I'm sorry but I kinda subscribe to the whole Work yuh ass off, pass the test and get into a good school thing. Common Entrance is a good thing!

We all did it growing up and we didn't die from it. It's the way you separate the dotish from the hard working. And I'd prefer my children have hard working peers when at school.

I don't think I could stomach the idea of my 11 yr old daughter in a classroom shoulder to shoulder with guntas in training, if they decide to use zoning.

Is not about removing the assessment. SEA is not the best way to assess a child's intelligence. Think about your extremely intelligent kid who has performed excellent throughout the years in primary school but failed to perform his/her best because of the stress factor, nervousness/anxiety or careless errors in the exam. You would be one of those parents consoling your child and talking about they cheat yuh child and looking to get a transfer cuz you don't want yuh kid mingling with guntas. A proper assessment would be one that reviews the child's performance throughout their years in primary school and most importantly their behavior and ability to learn!

I get that.. I do.. but for the few grades the ministry accepts over the school terms from the teachers themselves, I am wary. Those grades submitted by those teachers may have "influences" themselves. Favouritism is something I can't stand at all.

[dougla_boy]

I'm sorry but I kinda subscribe to the whole Work yuh ass off, pass the test and get into a good school thing. Common Entrance is a good thing!

We all did it growing up and we didn't die from it. It's the way you separate the dotish from the hard working. And I'd prefer my children have hard working peers when at school.

I don't think I could stomach the idea of my 11 yr old daughter in a classroom shoulder to shoulder with guntas in training, if they decide to use zoning.

sigh......yuh real backward inno......if u wah submit to that backward thinkin, bess u find a man an forget yuh education....cook an clean whole day, if yuh get licks say thanks.....or bess we all start back to mind bull an crops and them sheit......times change, is nuh time we move from that backward educations system we have?....everybody different........supposed the child a late bloomer?

Late bloomers can bloom in whatever high school they did or did not pass for.
Call it backward thinking, I rather think of it as protecting my child.
Because I know for sure I'm a hardworking parent, with hard working children and I want the best for them. Not some mediocre, substandard level of education where they'll be distracted by the neighbourhood "Badboy" when they're trying to pay attention to their teachers.

exactly what i said earlier!

teachers and parents tend to stress out the students to study for SEA, an not learn the work properly.....

hence why there should a be continuous flow from what would be 1st Year straight to Form 6.....just before university....with the exams being held at the end of each yr to allow the child to move from 1 form to the next.....an keep record of it so u would see there progress over the yrs.....

[Bizzare]

In everything there is bias because we're dealing with humans. You can't get away from that. You really think SEA is all fair? SEA is actually worse. You have no idea who, what, where or how your child's exam paper is being handled. Tons of error occur in grading these papers annually. Some students are favored to be placed in certain schools based on the school they're coming from. What would be important is placing your child in the right primary school so he/she would end up in the right hands. Teach your kid to kiss ass from early. Kissing ass a skill needed in the corporate world anyway. Out there your credentials don't always work for you.

[saxman642]

^^

Sad to say, but I'm forced to agree with Bizarre's last two posts. Trinidad runs on premium bobol.

Even in education.

[davymaraj]

''President of the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) Zena Ramatali said although the NPTA supported any attempt to stop the examination, certain measures needed to be put in place to avoid problems. There would be a need for additional staff, guidance officers, more parental involvement and proper communication from the Ministry of Education, she said.

Additional programmes in arts, drama, dance and music were also required, Ramatali said.

“It must be circulated that pupils have at least 80 per cent attendance to be able to get into secondary school, to prevent parents from keeping their children at home, and then expect that all children will go to secondary school''.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Sup ... 55451.html

So what if the teacher attendance is in question, this is a major issue.

[silent_riot]

I like the idea of consistent assessment.

Testing, however, must become more efficient. If you need hours every year to formally assess the child in your system, then that's a flaw of the evaluation system. You should have had feedback throughout the year on your students to know where that can be challenged or placed.

[silent_riot]

Do they still have end of term exams?
Why aren't those used to evaluate placement?

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

drama, dancing and physical education should NEVER be allowed to add to the overall mark given to students when determing their Secondary school placement.

First choice schools are choices that are chosen primarily on Education, and not on the extra Extracurricular Activities determining their future, so why allow their entry to be given to kids who are not as brilliant in the classroom but may have physical skill?

[~*Pãñdorą*~]

drama, dancing and physical education should NEVER be allowed to add to the overall mark given to students when determing their Secondary school placement.

First choice schools are choices that are chosen primarily on Education, and not on the extra Extracurricular Activities determining their future, so why allow their entry to be given to kids who are not as brilliant in the classroom but may have physical skill?

True!