Sablan: Teacher-to-student ratio up this year

Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan disclosed yesterday that teacher-to-student ratio in public schools is up this school year due to an increase in enrollees and the lack of funds to hire more teachers.

She revealed that currently up to 28 students occupy classrooms at the elementary school level—a figure Sablan admitted as “pretty high” and poses a challenge for teachers.

She specifically cited the significant increase in the teacher-to-student ratio for 4th grade to 12th grade as to up 30 students per classroom have been recorded in these levels. She said this number of students is difficult to handle if teachers are not extended additional support.

The class-size increase, she said, was the prime result of PSS not having enough money to hire more teachers so student population can be split, minimizing the number of students per classroom.

Compared to a classroom filled with only 20 students, Sablan believes that the high teacher-to-student ratio may bear some effects on student learning.

She said a large class size is manageable provided the teacher is efficient, effective, and creative.

“I do believe we have teachers that are effective, efficient, and equipped because they are all HQT [highly qualified teachers]. To have 28 or 30 students in the classroom can be very difficult because you do have diverse student population and certainly you have to meet the needs of individual students. I know it will be very difficult and I am sure they will need a lot of support to manage them all,” the commissioner told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

As of Sept. 6, Sablan said enrollment marked a 4-percent increase with over 11,000 students. Since enrollment and registration are still ongoing in many schools, the commissioner is projecting that PSS may realize an enrollment hike of about 5 percent.

Yesterday, the commissioner visited some schools on Saipan where she saw many parents still enrolling their children in elementary schools. In two weeks’ time, she said, a final enrollment figure is expected from individual schools.

At Marianas High School, acting principal Cherlyn Cabrera told Saipan Tribune that 1,523 enrollees were recorded in the opening of classes which is a 17-percent increase from the 1,295 students recorded in the end of the last school year.

MHS has 47 classroom teachers and still needs about three more to accommodate all enrollees. On opening day, teacher-to-student ratio was at 1:33—a figure way higher than the 28 students allowed for secondary school, pursuant to board policy.

At Saipan Southern High School, principal Jesse Tudela during opening day disclosed having 909 enrollees, which reflects a 7-percent increase from last year’s 851 students while recorded ratio of 1:29.

The Hopwood Junior High School also recorded a 20-percent hike in enrollment from 1,046 last year to 1,250 as Sept. 6, which represents a 1:32 teacher-to-student ratio for 7th graders and 1:26 for 8th graders.