30 July 2019
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
The monthly meeting of the Education Committee was held on Wednesday, 17 July 2019.
St Paul’s Primary School Teacher, Robyn Sim, gave feedback on her university experience in the United Kingdom where she had gone to further her studies. Robyn, a St Helenian, who qualified with a Bachelor of Education Primary Degree with teaching status, explained that her recently attained qualification was of great benefit to the Island, particularly to children with special educational needs and those in their early learning years. Alongside studying for the degree, Robyn also gained valuable experience in the UK working in nurseries and with children requiring special educational needs. These are skills critical to the needs of the Island.
An Apprenticeship Policy review was tabled but deferred to the next meeting.
The Committee welcomed the move taken by the Education Directorate to employ David Clarke as a teacher at Prince Andrew School. David recently achieved a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics with First Class Honours. David is a former student of Prince Andrew School and a beneficiary of the Government Scholarship programme. He will start his teaching career with the assistance of other teachers while he gains valuable experience and completes an international Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
The Committee noted with concern the shortage of qualified teachers, with the Director of Education expressing gratitude to the St Helena Government for allowing the Directorate to advertise and recruit teachers on TC contracts to try and address the shortage.
The Committee also noted with concern the number of student suspensions at Prince Andrew School. This resulted in entailing the need to relook at the Behavioural Policy within the school to ensure that pupils do not take advantage of suspensions as a way of deliberately staying out of school.
Finally, the Committee discussed the Staffing, Inclusion, and Budget reports under the closed agenda.
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SHG
30 July 2019