EDITORIAL: The future of the 11-Plus
Earlier this week some 3 300 children sat the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), popularly known as the 11-Plus or Common Entrance, and as another group of students took the test, which could to a great extent determine their educational future, the long time question of its relevance and importance was raised again.
We have been doing this exam now for several decades and every time it rolls around persons question why we are still going this route and if Barbados should not take the bold and decisive step to end the exam once and for all. Often the question that is asked by the public and the social commentators, is whether the exam is still serving a useful purpose and if it should not now be revamped in an effort to better cater to the technologically and educationally advanced children that will be the future bedrock of our society. Also occupying their thoughts is whether the way in which children are allocated to secondary schools is really fair and equitable.
The topic of the BSSEE is one that successive governments seem unwilling to touch, not even with a 10-foot poll, and part of the problem may very well be due to societal prejudices. From the outside looking in, this exam can be akin to lambs going to slaughter, for at the end; the aim is to weed out the so called “stupid” students from the “bright” ones. The exam can very well put some students at a disadvantage, because it is in essence a one-shot exam to decide their future. Also of note is that these students are being coached to pass exams in English and Mathematics, but if we are true to ourselves, we would admit that not all students are academically minded.
Now, continuous assessment and full zoning have been put forward to address concerns of the exam, and such measures should not simply be talked about, but fully explored and perhaps even tested to determine if it is the way this country should go.
But certainly, if a system of zoning is to be successful, there will have to be a drastic change in the mindset of the Barbadian public such that they do not continue to see our secondary school system in the hierarchical way it has traditionally been viewed. It is that very mindset, whether we want to admit it or not, that has also put many of our children at a disadvantage – some argue the level of teaching is not the same across the board in the current format. However, should we pursue full zoning, children would attend the school closest to where they live putting those considered gifted, those with special needs and those who are average in the same setting and providing them with the same opportunities.
In the event though that we should continue with the BSSEE, we respectfully suggest that the students be allowed to sit the exam at their respective schools, which could help cut down on the anxiety many of them experience the day of the exam, being in an unfamiliar setting. Instead then of the secondary school students having the day off, their primary school counterparts would, and the primary school teachers can be allocated to different schools to act as invigilators. For those who say that this could allow the students to cheat, we have a suggestion to put forward, the exam should be held on a Monday, giving the authorities the weekend to ensure that no unauthorised materials are present on the school compounds.