Segregation in Placement of GSAT Students

Cheinnel Francis burst into tears on learning she was awarded a place at Cedar Grove Academy in Portmore, St Catherine. Francis' scores in the 2015 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) ranged from 91 to 98 per cent."She cried both out of relief and out of sadness for not being placed at her first choice of Wolmer's Girls', or second choice, Campion. However, I would've transferred her to Cedar Grove Academy if they had placed her in any of those schools," says sister Kadia Francis.



The following response was posted by a FaceBook user ion Jamaica Gleaner's page in response to the above-referenced:

"This is NOT fair! If this system had still been around when I did GSAT, I would not have been able to go to Campion, coming from an inner-city community in Spanish Town. She does not deserve that placement. This may sound harsh but I do not even know of Cedar Grove Academy."

My response to the FaceBook user's post on Jamaica Gleaner's FaceBook was as follows:

"For those who do not know, Campion College was a Cedar Grove in the 70s and early 80s. Boys who could not gain enrollment into a traditional boys high school would go to Campion College when it was a boys only school. Its sister school St. Peters and Paul Girls School had the same reputation. However, after both schools joined the institution began to build its reputation. So, all should give Cedar Grove High School a chance. It is a STEM school and this designation indicates that the school has high performance standards and expectations for its students. Therefore, Cedar Grove High School needs an opportunity to build's its reputation just as Campion College/St. Peters and Paul had a chance to turn their unknown, last resort, and low performing status into a top school".
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This above noted communication indicates the need to revise the GSAT placement system. It is time to discontinue the segregated system of placing all top achievers to the well-known schools while placing lower performers to less recognized high schools. This division of students based on test scores means that the traditional high schools will continue to enjoy recognition as "top" performing schools for producing outstanding achievers. However, this type of recognition cannot be enjoyed by less recognized schools which are not given a chance to be competitive with traditional schools if they do not receive an equal share of the top GSAT students. However, the Ministry of Education continues to bend to public pressure of maintaining the ineffective placement system that is not serving so many Jamaican students.