Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 25, 2017 (SKNIS): The Honourable Shawn Richards, Minister of Education, made a clarion call for parents to take a more vested interest in their children’s education, as the strongest influence on a child’s future is the value parents place on education.
“As customary, the CXC results of these examinations is a much talked about subject among many students, parents, teachers, and the Ministry of Education,” stated minister, during the Ministry of Education Press Conference held on August 25 to announce the results for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Exams. He noted that student performance in exams is heavily based on student agencies, parental support and involvement, teacher delivery and assessment, and school leadership and climate.
The minister stated that the success in school is often judged by the pass rate in the examination results as students rely on the results to “determine their future.” “The results of these exams are the gateway to access higher education,” he added.
Minister Richards stressed that parents have a responsibility to invest in their children’s educational future by stating that “we have far too many cases where parents neglect that responsibility…when you examine the results and you look at the students who do well, for those students, their parents [and] their guardians, they are involved.” He further urged parents to ensure that their children are taking advantage of the available resources that are out there to assist in their educational success.
The minister commended teachers who go above and beyond in contacting parents of children who are not doing well to encourage the parents to take action to assist in their child’s education.
He also mentioned that while the end of year celebrations are welcomed, parents should not only invest in events such as prom to make sure their children are looking “the best” but also in their future. “ Prom is only one activity which is only for a day in the life of that child, and I’m saying to parents, just as you invest money and time in ensuring that your child looks the best for that one day; similarly, invest in the education of the child throughout the entire school journey,” he said.
The Education Minister stressed the importance of education for the youth, and said that education is something that is full circle and passes down from generation to generation.
“Once you are educated, you are in turn able to educate your own children [and] to educate other persons within society.”
