Dr Claude Packer says a major shift in the education sector is needed to reverse the trend of underperformance. - File

PRINCIPAL OF The Mico University College, Dr Claude Packer, has noted with grave concern, the report of the dismal performance of the nation's students in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in English language and mathematics.

The Gleaner's Education 2020 editorial project, which ranks high schools according to their exam performance in 2006-07 CSEC mathematics and English language, has revealed that several high schools performed poorly.

Not enough

"While educators at teacher-training institutions are playing a pivotal role in educating teachers for the nation's schools, and other stakeholders in the education system are working assiduously to adequately prepare the students for these examinations, that by itself is not going to solve what is seemingly a debacle," Packer said.

He said there must be a significant transformation of the present education system in the next three years for the system to produce quality workers to drive economic growth.

According to Packer - a mathematician - the present education system could not continue to have so many illiterate students leaving primary and secondary schools.

To this end, he said the payment by result system may have to be revisited. Payment by result was once a feature of the education system. It was introduced by the late John Savage, a graduate of Mico in the early 19th century.

Adequate infrastructure

Packer opined that adequate teaching resources and infrastructure must be provided for students in order to turn around their current level of performance.

He said the present teacher-student ratio and the less-than-expected involvement of parents in education should also be addressed.