Education in Jamaica: A need for redefinition and a changing of the old philosophy of education

Abstract

According to Peters (2001) among the legacies of imperialism in the Caribbean is the educational system, which still holds some of the philosophies of the British structure. This educational philosophy dates back to the Emancipation Act 1834 when metaphysics and idealism were the dominant paradigms. It was not until 1972 when Michael Manley became Prime Minister of Jamaica that there were any bold steps to reform education in Jamaica or for anyone to articulate that the education system then was for another time, people living in an agrarian economy. It was noted that the students at primary levels at the primary level performed poorly in English Language and Mathematics, which was evidenced in the selection examinations for entry to high and technical schools (Glasgow & Langley, 1989). Thirty-five years later since Michael Manley shifted the education paradigm the statistics are showing that students are failing in the area of English (reading, writing) and Mathematics. The Grade 4 Numeracy test for 2016 revealed that Of the 765 public schools, 764 entered 33,447 students to sit the Test with “approximately 57 percent attaining mastery; some 27.2 percent attaining almost mastery and 15.8 percent non-mastery. Rooted in the Caribbean educational system is metaphysical-epistemology and it impact the teaching-learning processdominant teaching methodology (or the traditional teaching methodology). Such a philosophy explains why teacher is the center of the learning process, classrooms are so designed, textbooks are relied upon, pupils are substantially viewed as receptacles and why students rely upon the teachers for knowledge, and there is less experimental learning approaches being employed by teachers. The fact is, the teachers are trained in this dominant philosophy and so they repeat what they were taught and the cycle continues like that. Even with titles as ‘failing schools’, examinations such as GSAT, CSEC and CAPE are structured more in keeping with traditional teaching methodology than new philosophies such as existentialism; postmodernism; feminism; constructionism; analytic philosophy; phenomenology, or educational philosophies such as positivism, perennialism, progressivism, reconstructionism, behaviorism and essentialism. Based on the listing of educational philosophies, it is clear that general philosophy impacts on educational philosophies. In concluding, the high illiteracy of young people as well as innumeracy is a summation of the continued usage of ‘failed philosophy’ that goes into impacting on the educational practices of the society. Hence, politicians and policy-makers in the Caribbean must be hold accountable for the continued usage of failed philosophy. The traditionalists have argued that there is an ‘absolute truth’ and this thinking has constituted educational practices. This fallacious thinking holds the key to understanding why the educational system has failed; but the paradigm that impacts educational practices is false and as such produce the current outcomes. It should be noted that “Human beings are manipulators of abstract symbols” (Knight, 2006, p. 171) and as such the traditionalists teaching methodology should be fundamentally change to reflect current trends in philosophies. It is reiterated that, there is no ‘failing schools’. What exists is a failed philosophy that has continued to dominate educational practices.