Thursday, December 16, 2010

How to blast the myth concerning “five-star” schools?

1. INTRODUCTION

This article suggests one possible way to blast the myth concerning “five-star” schools and analyses the possible advantages of this measure. At the same time, it proposes some revolutionary changes in our educational system which are easy to implement.


2. ABOLITION OF NATIONAL MERIT LISTS

2.1. The national merit lists at CPE should be replaced say in six years’ time by two lists consisting of the first five boys and the first five girls respectively in every primary school in alphabetical order. This number can be increased depending on the number of seats available in state secondary schools and in confessional and private secondary schools of comparable quality. Assuming that there are no geographical, or other law other than the law of probability governing the distribution of intelligence in a population the best five in each school should be roughly of similar ability especially as there would be no artificial purposive grouping (see 3.1 below).

2.2. These students will be placed by computers in secondary schools (see 2.1 above) nearest to their primary school and place of residence. Given that there will be no national merit list no one will be able to claim a seat in the so-called five-star secondary schools.

2.3. By the year 2001 the national merit lists at HSC level should be abolished and the five best HSC students in each of the secondary schools referred to in 2.1 above should be given direct admission to the University of Mauritius to follow undergraduate courses (if they wish to study further). This number can be increased depending on the number of seats available. (Some seats will be reserved for students from other secondary schools and the public at large). Given that the University of Mauritius will soon be offering pure science and arts courses there is no reason why our students should go abroad to study what is available in the country. Of course they will be free to do so at their own expense. The present scholarships for undergraduates should be converted to awards for the best graduates of the national university for further specialization.


3. ADVANTAGES

3.1. These measures are simple (so simple, in fact, that one wonders why one has not thought of them earlier) and do not cost anything. They can easily be implemented as from next year.

3.2. These measures can help in discouraging children from flocking to the so-called five- star primary schools where their chances of coming among the best five will be reduced.

3.3. Given that the level of a school depends largely on the type of students attending it, there is no doubt that by the measures suggested, the level of most primary schools will be raised because children will cease to travel a long way to five-star primary schools. They will prefer to be in an apparently bad school where their chances of coming among the best five will be enhanced.

3.4. Teachers of some primary schools will cease to be frustrated at the thought that some of their best pupils have left them in order to attend a five-star school.

3.5. The absence of national merit lists will discourage some teachers from having low expectations of their students because of their relatively low rank. It is a well known fact that teacher expectations have a strong influence on student performance. (This will be discussed in a forthcoming article).

3.6. These measures will facilitate the implementation of the regionalization of admission to primary and secondary schools and end certain malpractices.

3.7. They can help to introduce a greater equality of opportunity in our educational system.

3.8. The number of students commuting over long distances will be drastically reduced.

3.9. The prestige of the University of Mauritius will be enhanced as it will be receiving our best secondary school leavers.

3.10. Given that postgraduate scholarships are generally of shorter duration and are thus cheaper, the number of foreign undergraduate scholarships can be converted into a larger number of postgraduate awards.


4. LIMITATIONS

4.1. These measures will not free our system from the stigma of elitism.

4.2. They do not deal with those who fail at CPE or those who are not selected. This problem can, however, be solved if funds are available for special education.

4.3. They do not necessarily ensure a qualitatively better level teaching. This can be taken care of by a powerful, efficient and trained inspectorate. (This has been discussed elsewhere. See ‘Education for the year 2000’, Le Mauricien, 4.3.87).


5. CONCLUSION

5.1. There is no doubt that any change involves upsetting certain habits and that it is often instinctively rejected as a result. However it is hoped that these suggestions will be objectively considered and if they are found to be capable of producing the desired effects, they should be tried.

[Frist published in Le Mauricien, 29.07.1988]

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