Kimberley Welsh (right) and mother Rose Boland. - Photo by Deon Green

Deon P Green, Gleaner Writer

LONDON, England:

A number of Caribbean students in the United Kingdom are performing below standard in high school, a British educator says.

Their sub-par performance is linked to a number of issues, Rose Boland surmises, including waywardness and culture shock, forcing some parents to send their children back to the Caribbean to be educated.

Not being motivated

Ms. Boland told The Gleaner that Caribbean students may be underperforming because they are notbeing motivated.

"The key thing in all of this is motivation. The children are demotivated when they get here and, in some instances, the standard of work is lower," she said.

She added that teachers in Britain do not understand Caribbean children and this compounds the problem.

"Being in the classroom for six years, I find that there are many differences that children of Caribbean background face ... teachers really don't understand the children," she said.

Ms. Boland said that, to alleviate the problem, teachers must address the needs of Caribbean children, which include helping them to adjust to the new environment and generally trying to understand the child.

Address the culture barrier

"Much more needs to be done to address the culture barrier as at times this is a major hindrance to learning," she continued.

Kimberly Welsh, a young achiever in England, agrees with Ms. Boland's analysis of the circumstances facing Caribbean children. Kimberly has managed to achieve, despite the odds, maintaining a straight A average for most of her high school years.

Kimberly told The Gleaner: "Upon arriving in England, Jamaican students are faced with lots of different issues and it is difficult to cope unless they are determined."

She added that there is an in relation to making friends, which is difficult for many Jamaican students because of their accent, behaviour or mannerism. "They just settle for mediocrity and do not show their true potential," she noted. "Because working hard is not required for the courses, especially moving from a hard-working place (Jamaica), where you are pushed at every opportunity, to a place where people really do not care about your work."

Government officials have also expressed concern about the standard of current examinations. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), in a report last week, said standards in English, music and psychology have fallen in recent years based on examination papers and results dating back to the 1980s. The report said the questions were predictable and pupils were allowed to gain better grades while doing less work. The QCA noted that English was of particular concern.