Cancellation of 9th
Grade Exams Stirs
Controversy
The cancellation of 9th
grade exams is stirring
up controversy as the
president of the
Legislative Assembly
saying that it is the
easy way for the
Ministerio de Ecuación
Pública (MEP) - Public
Education ministry. The
minister of public
education, however, is
staying firm onhis
decision.
Leonardo Garnier
announced the decision
of the Consejo Superior
de Educación last
Thursday (January 17), a
decision that did not
sit well with Francisco
Antonio Pacheco.
"It is the easy way out,
there are a lot of
failures that lead to
school abandonment, thus
eliminating the exams
there will be less
abandonment; that is
putting things upside
down, rather than
thinking of how to
better the system", said
Pacheco, the president
of the Legislature.
For his part, minister
Garnier said that the
MEP is realizing that
the current 9th grade
exams don't work and
that his ministry is
working on tougher
exams.
"We will convert the
exams to one of
diagnostics, which we
hope to reflect the
problems of the quality
of education; this
administration is not
interested in hiding the
problems", said Garnier.
According to Garnier,
9th grade students focus
only on the exam which
has led to a high
failure rate - 25% - in
the 10th grade and
students abandoning
school.
Garnier added that they
will be evaluating the
weaknesses in the
education system to
concentrate from there
to better train
teachers.
Notwithstanding the
criticism, minister
Garnier assures that the
9th grade exams are
suspended for now.
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