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Ally, Hydar. “Male Underachievement Continues.” Kaieteur News, Http://Www.kaieteurnewsonline.com, 7 July 2016, www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2016/07/08/male-underachievement-continues/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2017.

Paul, Anna- Lisa. “Why Girls Are Doing Better.” Why Girls Are Doing Better, The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper, 17 Oct. 2016, www.guardian.co.tt/news/2016-10-17/why-girls-are-doing-better. Accessed 15 Apr. 2017.

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Despite the underachievement of females in some situations, looking at the Caribbean region, there has been a rise of females in education. Through the changing of ways people socialize, the mentality that the man is the only one that goes out and work, our goes to school has change. With the increase of females going to school during the twentieth century, there have been moments were the girls have outshined the boys. There are many reasons for the rise of females in Caribbean education, some reasons like the change in socialization, parents are encouraging their girl children as well to pursue an education, having access to education, in most Caribbean countries, for instance, Trinidad and Tobago have female-headed households, so the mothers are pushing their girl children to do better than them by pursuing an education.  Other reasons like biological reason such as the biological make up of boys and girls differ, girls are able to sit still and listen, whereas boys are constantly moving and have a hard time concentrating due to the strict order of the classroom, another reason is that the girls are a distraction to the boys. For instance in the article “Why girls are doing better”  an educators shares a story about one his male students, he was an exceptional student but when he got a girlfriend, who also attended the same school, his performance dropped, as his priorities were more focused on the girl than his studies.  This one example represents a current problem faced in the Caribbean, male marginalization, or male underachievement.  The underperformance of males have many reasons, one as mentioned above the biological reason, another reason is parental involvement. Parental involvement is necessary in a child’s life as it provides motivation and a strong sense of belonging and security. The parent’s role is very important especially when education is considered.  When parents decide to motivate their children in pursuing an education, they tend to be stricter towards the girls but more relaxed towards the boys. This can create a mentality in the children’s minds as they go to school, for instance, the girl wouldn’t want to disappoint her parents so she studies hard, pays attention and get good grades, whereas the boy, who also doesn’t want to disappoint his parents finds it hard as the expression given to him by his parents show that what he does doesn’t matter as much as the girl’s performance.  Another reason for male marginalization is teaching habits. Teaching habits differ for both boys and girls. Boys who are more used to constant moving and hands on activities can get bored or disinterested in the classroom due to little to no engaging class activities or lecture like classes. On the other hands, girls are more tolerant to these methods so they can easily follow in class and outshine the boys. In looking at the issue of male marginalization, applying more attention to the boys and their needs are needed to reduce this issue. According to the results from 2016 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) 140 girls were placed in the top 200 leaving 60 spaces for the boys. This issue can be improved by looking for different ways to interest the boys in the class, planning an activity that both gender friendly, as well as informing parents about their necessary involvement in education despite the gender or their children.

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Saturday 28th January, 2017

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Despite the fact that girls were over performing boys, there were and still are some girls that under perform.  Looking closer into this issue, socialization was seen as an underlying factor as girls were socialized by both the family, society and education system to keep the status quo to keep the gender roles in education present. For instance, looking at the stereotype, masculine behaviour were more aggressive, noisy, so males look part in contact sports, spent more time outdoors, whereas the stereotypical female was quiet, submissive so she would read, play board games or in case of participating in sports, it would be those that were non-contact and she would love classroom activities. Taking a deeper look, gender also had a rule over the subjects in which a student chose. Natural sciences such as chemistry and physics were seen more masculine and was dominated by males, however biology was dominated by females as it was a subject about the human body and other organisms which gave girls more insight to how to take care of children or family. Other subjects like economics, social sciences and business were more feminine subjects.  In having restrictions on what should a person should study or the fact that sometimes there are challenges to being a girl in a perceived male dominated subject field can lead to underachievement as girls suffer from a gender identity crisis, as they are told who or what they should do or be but it isn’t what they want and it takes a toll on them, instead of being a guide for them.

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This course has been an eye opener for me. Being able to learn more about my country as well as the Caribbean has been fun. Uncovering the truth behind why the first inhabitants were called the Arawaks and Caribs was shocking and made me wonder what other parts of the Caribbean history has been tainted by the Europeans to stop us from the discovering the truth. Learning more about slavery and that there were different types was interesting, as well as adding to my knowledge of how the slaves that came to the Caribbean was treated like chattel unlike those in Africa, who had rights and were treated like humans. Learning about the different ways in which the Caribbean has impacted the world was also interesting, learning the impact the Caribbean had on sports especially cricket, as we changed up the rules. Also the musical aspect of the Caribbean was refreshing to learn, as music such as soca, parang, and reggae has circulated the world.

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Male underachievement continues

Dear Editor;
The results of the National Grade Six Assessment Examinations, previously referred to as the Common Entrance Examination, have revealed that much more needed to be done to reduce disparities in student attainment levels especially with respect to rural and hinterland schools. A similar pattern is evident with the CXC examinations where urban schools outperform rural and hinterland schools by a significant margin.
At the national level, the phenomenon of male underachievement continues to be a worrying trend which needed to be carefully analyzed with a view to correcting what appears to be a gender specific problematic in respect to learning outcomes.
A more recent, and no less disturbing trend, has been the tendency for private schools to outperform those in the public domain especially when it comes to those children who make it to Queens College and other senior secondary schools such as Bishops High School, St. Stanislaus College and St. Roses High School. This raises some serious questions about equity in terms of the delivery of quality education since by their very nature private schools charge tuition fees that are way above what an average income earner can afford. This means in effect that the rich can afford to send their children to schools where their chances of making it at the top of the attainment ladder are significantly better as the recent results so unmistakably demonstrated.
I am of the view that education must remain secular and government has the responsibility and duty to create a level playing field for all children regardless of family circumstance or geographic location to have an even chance of doing well. In this regard, senior secondary schools that provide opportunities to write the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) or the CXC Advanced Levels should be established in all the ten administrative regions of Guyana with residential facilities in the case of deep hinterlands communities. These schools should be well resourced in terms of teachers and other facilities and the quality of education delivery should be on par with what obtain with respect to the city schools.
Such facilities will go a far way in the democratization of education delivery and will create opportunities for children from all walks of life to make it to the top of the education ladder.
As a former educator, I am convinced that every child has the potential to do well and given the right teaching/learning environment, all children can perform to the full limit of their potential. The current assessment mode is far too competitive and I dare say punitive to children who have little opportunity to enjoy the joys of growing up in that quest to be among the top. I believe the time has come for new measurement and evaluation instruments to be put in place to determine student performance rather than reliance of a single examination as is currently the case.
Let me take the opportunity to congratulate all the students who have excelled at the recent examinations and at the same time wish those who have not done as well as expected to remain positive and optimistic. As the saying goes, the race is not for fastest but for those who can endure the pace.
Hydar Ally

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Dear Editor; The results of the National Grade Six Assessment Examinations, previously referred to as the Common Entrance Examination, have revealed that much more needed to be done to reduce disparities in student attainment levels especially with respect to rural and hinterland schools.

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An analysis of the 2016 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) scholarship results shows students attending denominational secondary schools continue to outperform their colleagues in government secondary schools.

According to education officials, the continuing trend is worrying enough for them to take a closer look at the secret behind the denominational schools' success.

The two top performers were girls Priya Maraj, of Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College and Raquel Le Blanc of St Joseph's Convent, Port-of-Spain. They copped the President's Medal award.

Of the 389 scholarships awarded this year, students attending secondary schools run by the Presbyterian Board received the majority.

A breakdown of the results show that Presbyterian-run schools secured a total of 151 scholarships, while Catholic-run schools secured 141, followed by Hindu-run schools with 46, Anglican-run schools with 19, Government-run schools with 17 and Muslim-run schools with 14.

Admitting they were concerned that girls continue to outperform boys, Education Minister Anthony Garcia and Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis agreed on Thursday that curriculum and classroom changes may have to be introduced in order to effect a change. However, both men said detailed discussions had to take place with officials and other stakeholders before any changes could be implemented.

The trend of girls outperforming boys was also reflected in the 2016 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) results, where 140 girls placed in the top 200 as compared to 60 boys.

An educator with over 33 years service in public and private school systems offered a simple explanation, "Girls mature faster than boys. As a consequence, their ability to focus in the classroom is superior to that of boys."

The retired teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, "Boys between the ages of 15 and 18 tend to be easily distracted, while girls remain focused on their tasks and the objectives of the school curriculum."

He also warned that the age bracket was a very "dangerous time" for boys in terms of their sexuality. Pressed to elaborate, he said: "Girls in the classroom are a distraction for boys during this stage of their development."

Providing an example, the educator said a 16-year-old top-performing male student attending a prominent all-boys school in Port-of-Spain which accepts female students in Form Six began falling back academically after starting a relationship with one of the female students.

"The student has stopped going to class because he is too busy watching her all the time. He carries her books to her classes, but sits on a bench waiting for her to finish. Meanwhile, he is not going to class and his work is now suffering," he said.

The former teacher said parents had a very important role to play in establishing boundaries and instilling values in children.

"If parents don't do their jobs, children will be in trouble," he said. He said sports and music can help boys focus more but, if not handled properly, that too could become a distraction as they consume time.

Formula from religious schools
Secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) Sat Maharaj attributed their success to the efficient and effective management of schools by boards of management. "The board influences a lot of what is taking place daily. They have to be able to motivate the teachers," Maharaj said in an interview last week.

Principals and teachers are carefully selected for all SDMS schools and religion plays an important role in the education of students, Maharaj said. He said schools under their purview all begin the day with at least a half hour of devotional prayers.

Highlighting the value system and rules of discipline, Maharaj said parental involvement was also a major influencing factor in student achievement.

"You can have the best school systems, the best structures and the best teachers going for you, but if you do not have parental support, which is critical in the education of a child, it will make a huge difference. This is what sets us apart from a government school," he said.

While noting that the issue of girls outperforming boys was a "perpetual problem," Maharaj said the fact that some parents tend to be more relaxed when it came to male children could also be one of the reasons why they were not as consistent in the classroom when compared to girls.

Chief executive officer of the Catholic Education Board, Sharon Mangroo, said she believes a combination of factors affect a student's ability to learn.

Citing environment, school philosophy and teacher/student interaction, Mangroo said, "There is more of a family orientation-type environment in denominational schools. We deliberately try to maintain a family-type environment where the children know they are cared for."

She agreed the values passed on to children during the formative school years have kept them in good stead in their later life. Mangroo added that parents had a major role to play in the development of children both at home and school.

Suggesting a curriculum review regarding classroom methodology, Mangroo said, "Boys learn differently. They have different learning needs and different interests. With boys, you have to consider what their real interests are and meet that."

She said while girls were more disciplined and tend to sit quietly and learn, boys needed to be more active.

Presbyterian primary school board member Lennox Sirjuesingh said good leadership was responsible for their educational success.

"I strongly believe that a school is only as good as its principal and leaders," he said.

"In denominational schools we have a rigorous process to select teachers, but you must also have a yearning for academic excellence. Not that others don't, but we seem to have a greater commitment to excellence and this helps in shaping the children and their attitudes."

Suggesting there was no need to reinvent the wheel when it came to teaching styles, Sirjuesingh said, "They only have to ask us what we are doing and we will be happy to show them so they can see what can be adopted and incorporated into their teaching system."

He also agreed that parental involvement was necessary but disagreed that boys need to be separated from girls. He said the models of co-ed and all boys/girls schools currently in operation were functioning just fine. However, he said, the enforcement of respect between the genders would go a long way in establishing clear guidelines for how both sexes operate in the same environment.

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An analysis of the 2016 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) scholarship results shows students attending denominational secondary schools continue to outperform their colleagues in government secondary schools. According to education officials, the continuing trend is worrying enough for them to take a closer look at the secret behind the denominational schools' success.

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In this portfolio, the theme of Gender Studies is explored; however, the main focus is education in the Caribbean. The study of gender and gender issues have grown popular worldwide and regionally especially where education is concerned.  Education has been both an influencer and victim of gender as problems such as female underachievement, the rise of females in education and also male marginalization.