Georgetown, GINA, February 25, 2004

The Ministry of Education will tomorrow launch a new initiative to evaluate the effectiveness of schools countrywide and to motivate staff to improve their performance.
This is the Annual School Effective Ranking and Awards Scheme.
Under this initiative schools, would be required to conduct audits on their performance in the efficiency and management of resources, community alliance, physical environment and punctuality.
External evaluators will also be utilized for these assessments. These will comprise persons from the Ministry of Education, Regional Educational Committees and the Parent Teachers Association.
All public schools will be assessed - nursery, primary, secondary and practical Instruction Centres - and will also be assessed sartorially.
Each educational district will also use a rank order table under which all schools will be accounted for and points awarded based on their effectiveness. The Regional Democratic Councils will take responsibility for publishing these tables.
A four point rating system and a percentage scale will also be used to determine whether the school’s operations met the Ministry’s standards.
It is anticipated that the ranking and award system will provide the institutional and public pressure for schools to improve their performance.