Teachers help students to cheat: Report

By Mike Puia

AN inspection exercise conducted on secondary, primary and early childhood education schools in Malaita province has found a lot of issues with teachers in the province.

The Whole School Inspection (WSI) exercise was carried out and completed in November last year. 10 schools were covered in this exercise.

Its final report was presented to the Malaita provincial education board last week.

Of the 14 findings noted in the report, two stood out. They are; teachers supplying answers to their students during school exams and teachers not going to classes or absent from class.

Team leader of the exercise, Golman Holi, confirmed the issue of teachers supplying students with answers during exams.

Mr Holi, principal education inspectorate officer, said students and teachers interviewed confirmed this.

He said when comparing marks scored by year-six students in Malaita schools to that of year-six students of Honiara schools, year-six students in Malaita schools got “very high marks” in their national exams.

But, Holi said when one inspects Malaita schools he or she would found out that teachers are without lesson plans, school-based tests and assessment records and there are high teachers absent.

He said teacher absenteeism is “very high” in Malaita schools.

Schools having no clear mission and vision, school leaders not monitoring teachers and students’ assessment, schools lack education policies, weak school board and parent support, school’s grant used outside intended purposes, unsafe classrooms, poor sanitation and drinking water are other findings in the report.

Holi added they hope to inspect 20 more schools in the province next year.

The exercise involves inspectors conducting interviews with students, parents, school committees, teachers and chairman of school boards.

Inspectors also observe teachers in action in their classrooms, what documents they used, how they do their presentations in class and what resources are available in schools.

Holi said they will soon provide their recommendations to the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD), parents, teachers, their provincial education board and education authorities.

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