BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is experiencing a high rate of school dropout at the secondary level and the Government of National Unity is in the process of developing a plan to address this problem.
This pronouncement was made by the Minister of Education, Hon. Shawn Richards, while a guest on a recent WINN FM’s ‘Voices’ programme.
Minister Richards stated that 31% of students entering high school at the first form are likely to leave before completion of their studies.
He also stated that through its “Education Sector Strategy Plan”, the Government is seeking to capture those students who are more likely to drop out of school.
That Plan, he declared, would have various ways of addressing the problem.
“It hoped that with the expansion of the TVET programme within the schools more males in particular would be inclined to stay in school, because you have a wider range of subjects which will peak their interest,” the Minister noted.
He added, “The fact is, that approximately 69% of those who enter first form actually graduate from secondary school. So, if you have, for example, 1000 students entering, it therefore means that just about 690 of those students graduate from high school and a next 310 would have dropped out some place between the first and fifth forms.”
St. Kitts and Nevis has found itself with one of the highest crimes rates per capita in the region, and most of that has been linked to youth and gang-related violence.
Richards indicated that they have looked at the Act relative to education and questioned whether the age for students leaving school should remain at 16 years or more.
A decision on that, he noted, would require consultation with the various stakeholders.
In addition, the Minister disclosed that they are considering retraining teachers so as to enhance the way the curriculum is being administered to students.
“We recognised that in some cases you need to retrain teachers to ensure that they are putting over materials in such a manner that it gets the interest of the students. It can’t be the same old thing. Technology, for example, has changed and how do we use the very same technology that the children are hooked into to deliver lessons within the class room.”
Richards stated that the Ministry of Education would also be placing emphasis on the schools’ management structure.
He explained that instead of only comprising teachers and persons within the Education Department, the management structure re would be expanded to include all stakeholders that have an interest in what is happening in the sector.
