The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I have read letters to the local newspaper that have attacked the quality of education in The Bahamas, especially within government schools. It appears many of the commentators perceive themselves as an expert on education, without actually being qualified to speak with such authority on the matter at hand.

  Therefore, it was a breath of fresh air to read Dr Ruthmae Sears’ argument relevant to the underlying calculation of how the national average is reported. Based on her academic title, and a google search of her scholarly work and professional engagement with education, and most importantly the quality of the argument she presented, I was confident that she was indeed qualified, and competent to speak to the matter of national average, since her argument were clearly based on her area of expertise. With that said, I was appalled by Mr Ralph Massey’s response to her on August 31, 2012, which read:  “She supports her thesis with a long discussion of how an arithmetic average is calculated in the real world. She did this...apparently...without knowing much about just how the BGCSE exam is structured. It appears that she has never examined the Testing & Evaluation Section's ‘Grade Descriptor Manual’ nor a ‘Syllabus’ for a specific subject.” Afterwards he proceeded to state grading rubric for A-U.  It became quite evident that Mr Massey was not informed (or did not engage in an internet search) about Dr Sears’ knowledge of the Bahamian education system, and has completely missed the merit of her argument. Mr Massey’s remarks about her lack of knowledge of testing highlighted he did not research Dr Sears’ involvement in Bahamian education, or was unaware of her professional training.  Furthermore, his reference to a rubric, emphasised that something is terribly wrong with the current assessment measures. Reason being, after the C grade, it became evident that the students obtaining grades less than a C know little mathematics, and will experience great difficulty to solve tasks posed. It just does not make sense to me, why do we need so many grades (E, F, G, and U) to suggest students are failing. Hence, his rebuttal further highlighted the merit of her argument, that it is unclear what we can deduce about the current reporting of the national grade average. Additionally, I am concerned that Mr Massey is prepared to accept poor statistical practices, which ultimately clouds the overall results. This practice, is almost similar to eating fruit of a poison tree. Since Mr Massey’s training is in economics, you would have expected him to question the numbers as well. So it invokes questions about his ultimate agenda with education, if he doesn’t mind if the numbers tell a lie. Mr Massey, obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics, but yet he attempted to assert himself as the expert of educational assessment practices, without actually, having any advance training within the discipline of education. I guess, that is why it is difficult for him to appreciate the merit of her argument, or the need to explain in detail (which he calls a “thesis”) why the reporting of the BGCSE national average is merely an illusion. I implore the real experts in education to stand up. With that said, Mr Massey, please remain seated, and allow Dr Sears to stand up, and other educators who are experts within the discipline of education. Bahamian citizens concerned with the educational preparation of our nation’s future.

BAHAMIAN CITIZEN

Nassau,

September 1, 2012.