PEP - one step too many
Published:Monday | October 8, 2018 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
The Sunday Gleaner editorial, as have many other commentators, has omitted observation of a crucial component of the upcoming Primary Exit Profile (PEP) scenario - that is, the early categorising of young children, which, to my mind, will be psychologically problematic.
For while I'm not averse to holding the continuous tests, my problem is really their use in starting to determine in students' minds too early where they are likely to end up following primary school. Mind you, the idea of the tests as CONTINUING DIAGNOSTIC is commendable IF, as the word suggests, they are being used to develop a learning trajectory for individual students. Fine. But having young children carry a millstone about their neck from as early as grade four I find repulsive.
Let the other components remain. Let students freely explore the world about them. We already know of the problems that GSAT and even Common Entrance created - in some cases leading to suicidal thoughts and actions. I'm sure that we would not want to have these problems earlier in the lives of our children.
Let them, therefore, enjoy their schooling at this stage of their development devoid of the albatross of early culling.
A'LERROY BROWN