Minister of Education Shaik Baksh on Wednesday stood by the decision of the Ministry to outlaw the practice of teachers holding extra-lessons on school premises for pay.

Shaik Baksh

Speaking at Wednesday’s   “Face the Community meeting” with parents of students attending schools in the Southern-Georgetown Educational District, the Minister said that if the teachers were willing to hold these extra lessons for free they could do this, but if not, they would need to find an alternative venue.

Baksh had announced his intention to ban all extra lessons at public schools at the first of the “Face the Community Meetings” held recently at the St. Joseph’s High School. At that meeting, the Minister announced that a circular would be sent to all schools in the month of October announcing this decision.

At Wednesday’s meeting, one teacher told the Minister that extra lessons were needed to complete the syllabus and said that the teachers needed the money earned from doing this to supplement their income.  This teacher suggested that the teachers should meet with the Parent-Teacher’s Association of the Schools (PTAs) and decide on a fixed fee structure, so as to safeguard against exorbitant fees.

This suggestion was greeted with rousing applause by members of the audience who had gathered in the auditorium of the Ascension Community High School in West Ruimveldt.

Baksh however reiterated the view he expressed at the first community meeting, when he opined that many teachers deliberately shortchanged the students during regular school hours so as to force them to attend these extra lessons.  He further stated that extra lessons often put the poor children at a great disadvantage, since many of them could not afford to pay the fees.

The Minister also called on teachers to dedicate at least one hour per week to help those children who were not performing satisfactorily academically. He said that the Ministry was looking at holding remedial classes for the weaker students but said that this would take some time before it was fully implemented.

Baksh further explained that remedial classes were held for those students who had gained less than 50% at the Grade 6 examination during the recent August holiday, but only 65% of the expected students turned out.