‘Teacher training, staffing key to success’

The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) has voiced its support for the reintroduction of the Continuous Assessment Component (CAC) in primary schools. However, the association stresses that adequate teacher training and sufficient staffing are essential for the initiative to succeed, cautioning against repeating the errors of its previous implementation.

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CAC is coming back.

Adesh Dwarika, TTUTA's first vice president, stated that while the organization has no issue with CAC if it improves the education system and teaching/learning experiences, "we must learn from the mistakes of the first incarnation." He highlighted issues from the past, including the need for additional training for primary school teachers to implement skills for subjects like creative arts. Dwarika also pointed to problems with the moderation and marking process, which lacked standardization and was highly subjective.

To address these concerns, TTUTA has recommended the implementation of moderators to ensure fairness across schools, similar to the School Based Assessments (SBAs) in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. Dwarika also noted the issue of an increased workload for teachers under CAC, suggesting that the examination component should be reduced if continuous assessment is reintroduced.

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We don’t have a problem if it is going to improve the education system, it’s going to improve the teaching/learning experiences of our students and it will be better for them and it would be less stressful. TTUTA does not have a problem with that; but we must learn from the mistakes of the first incarnation.

Walter Stewart, President of the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), welcomed discussions on CAC's return. TTUTA asserts that its concerns are aimed at benefiting the education system, students, and teachers. Dwarika emphasized that TTUTA is not an obstructionist and desires what is best for students, while also ensuring teachers are not overburdened emotionally or physically.

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SEA (Secondary Entrance Assessment) in and of itself i