I am writing this letter as a Senior Lecturer, attached to the National College of Education (NCOE), in response to some of the allegations levelled against the Colleges of Education in the lead story and the editorial of your newspaper of 14 May and the follow up articles carried on the same subject in your newspaper of 16 May and 19 May.

These articles bemoan the poor performance of students in English, Maths and Science at the GCE (O/L) examination and say, among other things, that neither the Maths teachers nor the students know their Geometry, a component of Maths paper, and partly blame the National College of Education for it.

I cannot accept the allegations that Geometry is not taught in NCOE and the Maths teachers who pass out of this institution are poor in Geometry. Contrary to the views expressed in those articles, Geometry is included in the syllabus of Maths course and it is taught as a main subject and this is known as Maths IV. Moreover, the teacher-trainees have already got through the GCE (A/L) level in the Maths Stream and have a good background in Geometry.

In my view, the main reason for poor Geometry knowledge is the Maths paper itself.

The paper allows a candidate to get an ‘A’ even if he or she skips the questions on Geometry. You have rightly pointed this out in your editorial whereas even some educationists failed to do so. (Young teachers, we hear, discourage students from concentrating on Geometry on the grounds that they could obtain an A for Maths, even if they skip the section on Geometry). In testing, we call this ‘harmful backwash’. They as students have skipped Geometry questions and have become Maths teachers and they now teach students to skip the questions on Geometry and get an A pass! For instance, in last year’s Maths paper, part II carried 10 questions including three on Geometry and the candidates were asked to answer the first and seven more. As the candidates had the option of skipping two, they could have skipped Geometry questions, if they had found them difficult.

Findings of the Commissioner General of Examinations are revealing but he has attributed the poor performance in Geometry not the Maths teachers of NCOE but his own department. Here, the problem is neither teaching nor the syllabus but the testing.

In testing, as was said earlier, we call this phenomenon backwash effect: the effect of testing on teaching and learning. It can be beneficial or harmful. In the Maths paper the candidates have the option of skipping two questions. As they find Geometry questions comparatively difficult they skip them – teachers too encourage this. This is harmful backwash. If you want to improve students’ knowledge of Geometry, set half the questions in O level Maths paper on Geometry and make them compulsory. Private tuition masters will have to learn their Geometry.

I also take this opportunity to thank you for your enlightening editorials where you use the language economically yet powerfully to expose those who need to be exposed.

The number of letters to the Editor appreciating your editorials is a testimony to the quality of your editorials. Marvellous!