Sixth Form Pathway petition could be in vain
Despite racking up signatures, appeal not hosted on official state platform
Published:Friday | November 12, 2021 | 12:11 AMTameka Gordon/Senior Staff Reporter
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An online petition against the recently announced extension of high-school years for local students is likely to fall flat as it was not placed on the Government’s official platform hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). There has been...
An online petition against the recently announced extension of high-school years for local students is likely to fall flat as it was not placed on the Government’s official platform hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
There has been heightened concern over the Sixth Form Pathway Programme (SFPP) since The Gleaner carried a story earlier this week in which several stakeholders noted the confusion created by its implementation.
Yesterday, Junior Education Minister Robert Morgan told The Gleaner that he was unaware of the concerns raised in the petition and could not respond to them.
“The Government’s official petition website is on the OPM’s website,” Morgan said.
The OPM’s platform affords citizens an opportunity to sway government decisions if petitions amass 15,000 signatures in 40 days. However, the current petition, which was created by a student, Kadian Johnson, bemoaning what she describes as the financial burden and unfair imposition of the added two years of secondary education, was created on Change.org.
Up to Thursday evening, that petition had more than 7,100 signatures.
The education ministry has also made an about-turn on its previously announced ban on graduations at grade 11 under the SFPP after several dissenting voices emerged, including from parents and principals, after a directive that the traditional exercises be scrapped for fifth-formers, starting this academic year.
Pressed on whether the ministry was considering any further revisions, Morgan promised a response after consultation with other officials. However, no further response was received up to press time.
Meanwhile, the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) has welcomed the graduation ban reversal but is still hoping for clearer directives from the ministry on key elements of the policy.
“We see the benefits of the programme and would give our full support to it, but we do have some concerns having to do with the logistics and implementation of the programme,” NSSC President Jamaul Hall told The Gleaner.
Hall called for more consultation with stakeholders and greater sensitisation of students, who are the ones who “will actually be doing the programme”.