Increased supervision in schools countrywide

The Education Ministry has announced that, for the new academic year and beyond, there would be an overhaul of the supervision of students from nursery to secondary schools, with guidelines that allow for greater monitoring.
Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain has issued a circular informing of the changes. The following has been outlined, “The evolving dynamics of our education system requires synchronized changes in the allocation of teachers and their functions within respective schools. This is necessary for improved supervision and student outcomes, and more efficiently functioning schools.”
In nursery schools, general guidelines now provide that a headteacher would no longer be counted as a teaching unit. Instead, a headteacher must conduct a minimum of eight supervision sessions, classroom supervisory visits, or walk-throughs per week.
The guidelines have also outlined that multi-grade classes should be avoided where practicable, and should be established only when there are less than five learners per year group.
Additionally, two teachers are to be assigned to any class with more than 15 students.

One additional teacher, preferably with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) training, must be assigned to each class where there are three or more SEND learners. Each nursery school must also have a data entry clerk.
At the primary level, provisions are now made for headteachers and deputy headteachers to also conduct at least eight supervisory sessions. A deputy should not be assigned a fixed class, but may serve as a floating teacher until a full complement of teachers has been hired.
Two teachers would be required to manage a class wherein there are more than 20 pupils in Grades One to Two, and more than 25 pupils in Grades Three to Five.
One Information Technology teacher must be appointed to each primary school that has a computer laboratory, and teach classes on a timetabled basis. Grades A and B primary schools can have a minimum of two Spanish teachers.
In secondary schools, supervisory sessions will be required from headteachers, deputy headteachers, senior masters/mistresses, and heads of department.
In cases where classes have more than 30 students, two teachers must be assigned to each of those classes.
Each school with a CAPE programme or dormitories would have an additional senior master/mistress. Large secondary schools would have more than one teacher designated as Guidance and Counselling Officers.
Acknowledging that immediate implementation of these changes can shock the system, the Ministry has clarified, “These changes must be made gradually, over the next academic year and beyond. School leaders must conduct a consultative rationalization of their staff to begin the implementation process. School leaders will be held accountable for the sporadic and indiscriminate implementation of this circular.”
The Ministry is working aggressively to pursue universal secondary education, and creating facilities which are conducive for learning.
As such, Government is eliminating primary tops with the construction of several secondary schools across the country. New schools will call for greater resources in the teaching sector.
Schools to be built are the $1.9 billion Kopinang Secondary School (Region Eight), the $2.5 billion Hosororo Secondary School (Region One), the $2 billion Kwebanna Secondary School (Region One) and the $2 billion Jawalla Secondary School (Region Seven). With establishment of the new Jawalla Secondary School, the Ministry would be able to close the primary tops in Philippi, Wax Creek, Chinoweing, Imbaimadai, Jawalla, Quebanang, Kako and Kamarang.
The new Kwebanna facility would serve the villages of Kwebanna, Santa Cruz, Waikrebi, Chinese Landing, Kokerite, Kariako, Warapoka, Assakata and Unity Grant.
After being ravaged by fire, the North West Secondary School in Region One is also being rebuilt. (G12)