SEA pupil commits suicide

[weary1969]

By Alexander Bruzual and Sue-Ann Wayow

Story Created: May 8, 2014 at 9:50 AM ECT

(Story Updated: May 8, 2014 at 10:08 AM ECT )

A boy who was due to write the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination today, committed suicide in his backyard yesterday.

Devindra Boodoo, 13, of Sadhoo Trace, Aranguez, founding hanging at around 4.30 p.m. Devindra was a pupil of the El Socorro Hindu Primary School.

His body was found by his grandfather who realised the boy had gone missing from the home and went in search of him.

The SEA is considered one of the most distressing time in the life of a child, and many have called for it to be abolished it is current form.

The Education Minister's communication's manger Alicia Busby told the Express that the Ministry learnt of the child's death last evening, and that members of the Student Support Service went to the El Socorro Primary Hindu School at 7a.m. today to counsel teachers and pupils. The SEA examination for the pupils began at 9a.m. and will be completed at around noon.

President of the Parent/Teachers Association Zena Ramatali said she had not heard of the child's death but that "the child must have been under tremendous pressure.

And TTUTA's First Vice President Devanand Sinanan said that the SEA should be replaced with another form of assessment. Sinanan said it was cruel and inhumane to ask 12 and 13-year olds to sit for a three hour examination.

Sinanan said TTUTA was saddened by news of the death.

(from the Multimedia Desk - richard.charan@trinidadexpress.com)

[AB.Trini]

sad sad legacy  at this time- Will will be get rid of  such a 'high stakes antiquated test' that fosters elitism and a tired system of education for all? This has been one that has smacks of 'Darwinism' - survival of the fittest.

Today some parents have instilled their dreams on the results of this test; some children have endured argong and pain in strining to fulfill their parents' dreams; some will not  get the dream of a QRC , ST MARYS HOLY NAME, BISHOP AN., FATIMA , PRESNTATION NAPRIMA all all that goes with these...... today they have all them 'ole boys' FETES AND  prestige attached to these a that perpetrates this old colonial elitism. I have no malice or prejudice to those who live with this glorification of success or achievement- I just wish that the price of such does not  come with results that end in pain for some.

 Yes it is time that education ministers revamp curriculum and look at learning along a continuum- where each child attains concepts at different times and that High stake testing  should not seek to rank and classify learners.

There will always be standardize tests of these nature and one could argue that a test of this magnitude will help prepare students for  later on in life. I beg to differ. At this age and with the 'Stakes' involved, in my opinion what failure at this age could do for some is reprehensible. I would advocate for a system that moves students from a gradual levels of achievements based on grade level outcomes and ongoing testing rather to attach names of 'schools'  and designating placement based on one test in one given time.

Revamping our school system so as to ensure accountability by all teachers and to assess schools in terms of students success rates  may help in producing a more equitable system that would eradicate this nonsense of having to  write a test  to determine no as much as what you have learned but in so far as to what school  you will be attending. At this age, in my opinion the stakes at too high for these children.

When we look at the social conditions that have existed in our country today and yesterdays , we have to wonder if the education system have not failed a segment of our population- what alternatives do some chose when at the tender age of 12-13, they are subjected to this level of failure- DARWINISM - SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST must stop.

[MEP]

While any 13 year old committing suicide is a tragedy....it is not substantiated that the reason for his death is the SEA. We can say millions of people have done the SEA in its current and previous forms and how many have committed suicide over it? It is erroneous of the media to say this absolutely. What other issues were happening in this young man's life that could have led to this?

[Bakes]

sad sad legacy  at this time- Will will be get rid of  such a 'high stakes antiquated test' that fosters elitism and a tired system of education for all? This has been one that has smacks of 'Darwinism' - survival of the fittest.

... and the SAT is?  Steups.


This little fella death tragic, but let's not blame this on some external factor, this is the result of some flawed internal process which then caused him to respond to stress the way that he did.  I hate to say it but three-four years from now he might'a drink gramoxone over a case ah tabanca instead.

[AB.Trini]

I agree - there is a bit of faulty logic to assume that  the SEA is a cause of this tragic occurrence. The news article, draws attention to the two incidents as they there is a direct relationship. Until the facts have been substantiated we cant really say if there is a direct correlation -

 I am not fully attributing the death to the SEA but to the legacy of a system that may attribute to a decay is aspects of our society and if this death has anything to do with the SEA, then it adds to the high stakes testing we have in place.

[Bakes]

I agree - there is a bit of faulty logic to assume that  the SEA is a cause of this tragic occurrence. The news article, draws attention to the two incidents as they there is a direct relationship. Until the facts have been substantiated we cant really say if there is a direct correlation -

 I am not fully attributing the death to the SEA but to the legacy of a system that may attribute to a decay is aspects of our society and if this death has anything to do with the SEA, then it adds to the high stakes testing we have in place.

And my response to that is that standardized tests are what they are... what next, abolish CXC?  If SEA too stressful and perpetuating a legacy of separation, then why have university entrance exams?  What then do we say about the GMAT, GRE, LSAT and MCAT?

[Toppa]

Steups - they called for Common Entrance to be abolished and now there is SEA, which I think is easier and less stressful than Common Entrance was. With Common Entrance you knew jump high, jump low - 10% (or what it 20?) of the students were not going to be placed in a Secondary school. That is stress. Plus with SEA a certain percentage of your overall mark is based on course-work; so it's not all on your final exam results.

[Deeks]

It was the same with common entrance in my times. It was stressful. And in our time there were less high schools, which meant much less places.  Parents will always push their children to achieve the max. If they don't then we will say them parents eh have no ambition for their children, which is not true. Most of us went through that stressful period and we survived. Right?!!?