Academic Achievement among East Indian Students in Trinidad and Togabo: From Marginalization to National Excellence

Abstract (English)

Although, displaced due to abject poverty from their home country, India, the Indians came to Trinidad and Tobago as indentured laborers during the British regime in 1845 to make a living and a future in a foreign land. Over the years, they toiled under harsh conditions to achieve prosperity and excellence in the host country. Today, the East Indians, (known by this name in the Caribbean) have contributed vastly to the nation’s socio-economic, political, academic, industrial, technological growth and development (Kelly, 2023; Esposito, 2021; Chand, 2017). The question is asked, how did immigrants coming from India excel in a foreign land? Is it because of their culture, values and beliefs system in which they learned to survive in adverse situations? They have boldly moved in faith in their destiny and today they are enjoying the socio-economic, political and religious freedom and flourishing in all dimensions in a foreign land (Chand & Chand, 2021; Mohammed, 2020; Munasinghe, 2018; Cudjoe, 2011; Brereton, 2007).

In this paper we present the success stories of the Indian immigrants in the foreign land of Trinidad and Tobago with specific reference to the high academic achievement of East Indian students in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination at the national level. A six-year chart of CSEC results indicate that the high-ranking secondary schools (Grade 1 Schools) in the country are those with majority of school population from the East Indian communities (MOETT, 2018).

In this qualitative case study, the success stories of the East Indian Students performance in sciences, specifically in Biology subject have been documented through observations, personal interviews, focus group discussions, and documents from teachers, students and their parents, and the curriculum supervisors. Factors contributing to student’s high achievement in biology were –(i) role and support of parents in providing their children with best learning environment at home, their investment in private tuition and keeping close connections with the teachers and classmates of their children to receive feedback on their children’s performance in class, (ii) direct instructions from their teachers in the class including the drilling of previous test papers, notes and additional learning materials, (iii) peer collaborative learning and group work through WhatsApp groups, (iv) the learning environment in high performing secondary schools boosted their morales and directed them to perform highly.

Historically children of East Indian descent were marginalized from entering school systems operated by the Christian denominations. They were required to convert from Hindu or Muslim religion into Christianity to enter the school system. With the support from the Presbyterian run Schools and later the establishment of Hindu and Muslim run Schools in the country, the East Indian students entered the mainstream schools and have excelled in academic achievement nation-wide.