Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid - file photo
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Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid, speaking at a news conference on Thursday
Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid says the decline in the performance of Jamaican candidates in this year's CSEC mathematics exam was due to the shortage of trained teachers.
Just 47.7% of students who sat the math exam in June passed. This is a decline from last year's average of 62%.
Based on the Ministry's 2013/2014 census, only 207 of the 1,784 math teachers in the secondary education system are fully qualified to teach the subject to Grade 11 students. This means that only the 207 have at least a bachelor's degree.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss the results of the 2016 CXC examinations, Senator Reid outlined that 111 fully qualified teachers took up job opportunities overseas. He said this affected the preparation of students, as well as the ability of schools to maintain the standards of teaching and learning that would have been established. Additionally, there was a challenge in finding suitably trained teachers to replace the ones who migrated, he explained.
Leadership of Mathematics Programme
Meanwhile, an audit is underway in secondary schools to identify heads of department who have not yet been trained in the Leadership of Mathematics Programme.
The audit is being conducted by the National Mathematics Programme and the National College for Educational Leadership.
New and untrained heads of departments will be engaged in three days of training from October 12 to 14.
However, Senator Reid said the ministry has developed other initiatives to increase the number of fully qualified mathematics teachers.
"We as a team, recognising the impending challenge, developed the Math, Science and Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) teacher initiative to increase the number of fully qualified mathematics teachers in Jamaica. Close to 230 students have been awarded scholarships to pursue courses in mathematics, science and technical vocational programmes. Of this number, 138 have been identified to pursue programmes in secondary mathematics education," the minister highlighted.
The ministry has also identified 50 math coaches to provide support to 100 under performing secondary schools.
Senator Reid said the measures should result in an improved performance in mathematics next year.
Career Advancement Programme
In the meantime, Senator Reid is encouraging students who failed CSEC subjects to register with the Career Advancement Programme (CAP).
"There is no fee at all that is attached to that programme and in that programme, students will be allowed to sit the (subjects) they so desire, particularly math and english," he said.
CAP will be introduced in all secondary schools for the 2016/2017 academic year.
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