Being given a new lease on life 

by Judy H. Fitzpatrick

The St. Maarten Vocational Training School (SMVTS) is getting a new lease on life.

After 27 years of operation, the institution is on its way to becoming a legally recognised school, with new educational streams and certified programmes that cater to students with special educational needs. A development that Leader of Government and Education Commissioner William Marlin says is long overdue and one that he says will go a long way in better moulding students that the programme caters to.

While the institution has been churning out skilled labour for over two decades, it was never officially recognised as required by law, and as a result its diplomas were not officially recognised outside of St. Maarten, though its students have been solid contributors to society. Some have also been able to pursue tertiary studies abroad.

The school has also not been able to introduce specific programmes to cater to students with special needs.

But this is about to change.

The school is upgrading its facilities and curriculum to introduce two programmes to bridge the deficiencies that had existed: Labour Market Oriented Education (LMOE) and Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) - two streams that legally the school should have had all along.

As a result of initial work to achieve these goals, the school received a temporary PSVE status from government earlier this year. Once it has passed the necessary education inspection when the new programmes are online, it should be granted full PSVE status.

Being a recognised institution is beneficial to the school in more ways than one. It means that the institution will be able to tap benefits that come with being a legally recognised institution, which includes being able to tap government funding for needed upgrading.

This is welcomed news for the school, which has been scarred over the years by reports of violence among students.

"It is definitely a plus," says SMVTS Director Vernon Richards. "It will open doors for the school and will fill the void that has existed to a certain extent. Not everything will be 100 per cent perfect, but we are working hard at it and in due time, if we do it the right way, we will reap our benefits.

He said the SMVTS has "been setting the trend when it comes to vocational education and we have set the tone when it comes to persons who were set aside and not accepted into other schools. These students have gone on to study professions such as plumbing and have become skilled in areas such as electricians and are making a name for themselves."

"It's long overdue," adds PSVE Coordinator and former Coordinator of LMOE Zuleima Salmon, who is overseeing the introduction of the programmes. "The school has been doing a great job and many students have gone on to do great things. I can't imagine that as a society we let this happen for so long," she said referring to the school being without status for so many years.

History

SMVTS began as a training institution in 1983 through the efforts of, among other persons, Camile Baly, Walcott Richardson and John Finney.

It was referred to as "alternative secondary education," at the time and filled a deficiency in the community, Richards explained.

Students who were not accepted into mainstream education and who had no other educational options were admitted and trained. It started with a class of between 20 – 25 students, most of whom were drawn from then John Larmonie School (now Prins Willem Alexander School for special education).

It has blossomed into much larger institution boasting a student body of close to 225, but its growth has not been without hurdles.

The odds were stacked up against the institution from the onset. It was stigmatised and its students labelled as misfits. But officials were focussed on their goals and bent on proving naysayers wrong.

Despite the challenges, they forged ahead and did their utmost with limited resources to train students in a career skill that they could use.

"Our students are no misfits, because they have chosen something in the line that they can function in," says Richards, who has been Director of the institution since 1986.

"I tip my hats to students who entered Vocational Training School and chose a job in the vocational field, because it's important. These days tilers and bricklayers are the ones who are reaping the harvest of our society and if we can transfer certain skills onto them and stop them from working in places like casinos, we will be doing justice to the island. Areas such as carpentry and bricklaying are really taking off in St. Maarten."

Overtime the need for the institution to obtain a status and to streamline its programmes has been noted and over a year ago concerted efforts began to achieve this.

Why LMOE

LMOE is a skill oriented programme that focuses on the individual student and their needs and capacities. The first part of the programme focuses on the general personal development of the student, the second part on preparing them for the labour market and the final part is to provide specific job training.

The programme is geared towards students' personal development and aims to strengthen their social independency skills, so that they will be able to live on their own and improve their communication and civil skills.

LMOE is necessary, because some students are not able to follow the normal vocational education streams. Students who are successfully in such a programme are at least three years behind in Language and Maths development compared to students of their age, explains Salmon. Students with an IQ between 60 and 80 and those with severe social emotional problems that prevent learning are eligible for LMOE.

Most of these students are drawn from special elementary education and Foundation Based Education (FBE).

Students cannot be automatically transferred into LMOE. The process for admission is very specific, says Salmon. FBE and primary schools identify possible eligible students. Details about the student and his/her performance will need to be collected. The potential student application is forwarded by the FBE school, with full knowledge of the student's parents. Approved tests will have to be administered, before is it can be determined that the student is eligible for the programme.

A Referral Committee is being set up to refer eligible students. The Committee should have a psycho-diagnostic and educational/diagnostic professional and persons with practical knowledge about elementary education, PSVE and LMOE.

Each student will have a portfolio containing proof of their achievements at the end of the programme. Students who complete the programme will receive a certificate Labour Oriented Education.

Salmon said students often lose interest in their studies when they are beyond their level. These students end up dropping out of school or failing. LMOE is hoping to reverse this trend when it comes to the students it caters to.

Richards said an average of between two to three students drop out of school annually. This can fluctuate. He said in the past many SMVTS students also transferred to other institutions off island that cater more to their specific needs, which is what LMOE will provide.

Introduction

Introducing a PSVE stream is being worked on and is expected to come online in the 2011 – 2012 academic year.

Regarding the LMOE stream, based on extensive research conducted by consultancy firm For A Change N.V. on how it can best be introduced, the Department for Education Research Policy and Innovations (DERPI) started the implementation with a bottom's up approach in 2009.

Head of Curacao's education innovations department FIDE Maia da Silva is assisting DERPI with the implementation by sharing their expertise and in an advisory capacity.

A series of information sessions have already been held with stakeholders, including SMVTS' board, teachers and staff, public education, the Department of Education and FBE schools to enlighten them about LMOE and the process being embarked on. Their reactions were positive, says Salmon.

Work also began to adapt two curriculum subjects (Maths and Man and Society) that needed the most revamping to reflect an LMOE stream. Work will also start to prepare the school's infrastructure for the introduction of the programme. Subjects necessary for LMOE are Maths, English, Information Technology, Physical Education, Man and Society and Technical Science. Salmon said while Arts and Craft are not mandatory, it was seen as a core subject and will also be included.

The adaptation of the curriculum, which Salmon says is a work in progress to be developed over the next four years, will reflect the "think, do and check" method. A similar method is used in Curaçao and it is aimed at helping students to focus and concentrate.

The introduction of LMOE and PSVE are being funded by Dutch Development Fund USONA. The upgrading of several classrooms as well as several departments such as the school's computer lab and technical science and arts and craft textile room are expected to enhance the introduction of LMOE, because currently these departments do not meet the minimum requirement.

The building material for the reconstruction of classrooms has been tagged at about NAf. 50,000, while consultation, workshops and conferences that are still to be held will cost approximately NAf. 25,000, and the continued curriculum development about NAf. 30,000. About NAf. 50,000 have already been spent on consultation fees, conferences, workshops, resource materials purchases for the school.

The entire classroom building project is estimated to cost NAf. 200,000, excluding classroom material. The entire project has been tagged at NAf. 350,000.

The Island Council has also recently approved funds for the purchase of materials for the school's Man and Society and Maths units to facilitate LMOE.

Salmon said challenges have been encountered in finding special education teachers who are equipped with the skills necessary to teach LMOE. However, the school's existing teachers have been trained in mentorship, classroom management and in other areas in an effort to assist them to work with these special students.

Richards said LMOE will start this year with one class of 15-16 students.

He stressed the need for businesses to be aware of the programme as they will have to play an integral role in terms of training students.

"And not just training them for training sake. If there is a need for bell hops, then we will have to train students to be bell hops," he said, adding that teachers are taking on the extra work that comes with the introduction of the new programmes in stride.

Richards says it is his opinion that the education system needs to be more in tune with the job market. "I think that only then will we be doing the children justice. A lot of things need to come into play such as the Labour Department's role. If the labour market is requiring that we train skilled workers then that is what we have to do. Only then will we close the gap on the labour market and will be going down the right path."

In the meantime, stakeholders involved are convinced that SMVTS is moving in the right direction, which will give it a new lease on life and an improved overall image.

Commissioner Marlin, an educator by training, is particularly happy that this initiative is finally off the ground.