The teachers might be the problem!
Nov 19, 2007
EDITOR—I would like to disagree with Jane Kabaliisa about her letter, “Automatic promotions will kill our children†published on November 13. <br>
EDITOR—I would like to disagree with Jane Kabaliisa about her letter, “Automatic promotions will kill our children†published on November 13.
In the letter, she rightly points out that “primary school pupils are still too young to visualise the competitive world that lies a head of them...â€
If this is so, then why go ahead to make children who do not understand the world ahead of them repeat? For how many years shall we make them repeat classes before they are mature enough to understand the ‘world a head of them’?
Reading another story in the local press, Namagunga Primary School is reported to be against children who will score aggregate 20 and above.
They won’t allow them to repeat P.6 and they cannot go on to P7 as they are likely to compromise the PLE results of the school! What is the Ministry of education doing to protect and support our children in circumstances as those at Namagunga?
What will be their fate? What is disheartening is that the teachers admit that the girls are likely to pass in first grade anyway but they do not want to risk getting second grade!
We need the help of experts in child growth to explain to us how children grow and develop so that we can appreciate challenges of growing up and support the children instead.
Children do not learn at the same speed nor does it take a night for a teacher to help children with learning disabilities.
I would like to instead applaud Morris Komakech for his letter in the New Vision of November 15 where he highlights the “education system itself and the socio-economic shortfalls to provide socially and physically supportive school environmentâ€.
I suggest that we focus on real issues that will produce quality education for our children rather than symptomatically dwell on automatic promotion.
Who knows if the problem is not our teachers?
I am a primary school teacher and also a parent.
Becki Namunot
namunot.becki@yahoo.com
In the letter, she rightly points out that “primary school pupils are still too young to visualise the competitive world that lies a head of them...â€
If this is so, then why go ahead to make children who do not understand the world ahead of them repeat? For how many years shall we make them repeat classes before they are mature enough to understand the ‘world a head of them’?
Reading another story in the local press, Namagunga Primary School is reported to be against children who will score aggregate 20 and above.
They won’t allow them to repeat P.6 and they cannot go on to P7 as they are likely to compromise the PLE results of the school! What is the Ministry of education doing to protect and support our children in circumstances as those at Namagunga?
What will be their fate? What is disheartening is that the teachers admit that the girls are likely to pass in first grade anyway but they do not want to risk getting second grade!
We need the help of experts in child growth to explain to us how children grow and develop so that we can appreciate challenges of growing up and support the children instead.
Children do not learn at the same speed nor does it take a night for a teacher to help children with learning disabilities.
I would like to instead applaud Morris Komakech for his letter in the New Vision of November 15 where he highlights the “education system itself and the socio-economic shortfalls to provide socially and physically supportive school environmentâ€.
I suggest that we focus on real issues that will produce quality education for our children rather than symptomatically dwell on automatic promotion.
Who knows if the problem is not our teachers?
I am a primary school teacher and also a parent.
Becki Namunot
namunot.becki@yahoo.com