Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
For Assistant Chief Examiner Robin Ramlal, mathematics has never been about memorising formulas or surviving examinations.
It has always been about understanding concepts.
That simple philosophy, born in a modest home in Princes Town where education was treasured despite limited means, has become the driving force behind a career dedicated to transforming how Caribbean students learn mathematics.
With the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Mathematics pass rate standing at 38.5 per cent in 2025, compared to a 71 per cent pass rate in the United Kingdom, Ramlal said he is determined to help Caribbean students do better at Mathematics.
It is why the former CSEC examiner and Assistant Chief Examiner for CAPE Mathematics decided to provide free workshops for Caribbean Mathematics teachers.
Ramlal said the solution to improving Mathematics grades regionally is neither complicated nor out of reach, as the Caribbean has excellent Mathematics teachers.
“However, we need to stop teaching students to remember mathematics and start teaching them to understand mathematics,” he said.
It is a message he says he has repeated in classrooms, examination centres, teacher workshops and now through his latest publication, CSEC Mathematics for All, a textbook designed to remove the fear surrounding one of the Caribbean’s most dreaded subjects.
Ramlal said long before he became an educator, examiner and author, he lived with his parents, Roopchand Ramlal (deceased), a labourer, and his mother, Chanardaye Ramlal, a housewife who believed education could change a family’s future.
Growing up in Princes Town, Ramlal said opportunities were limited, but expectations were not.
“Neither of my parents had the opportunity to attend secondary school, but they never allowed that to limit their vision for their children,” he said.
He said his parents sacrificed comforts many families considered ordinary so that he and his two brothers, Rishie Ramlal and Roger Ramlal, could receive a quality education.
Books always came before luxuries, and homework was never optional. Those values are now shared with his wife, Laura Ramlal, and their ten-year-old son, Arjun, who will write the Secondary Entrance Assessment next year.
Ramlal says he tries his best to help students who struggle with Mathematics.
“When I meet a student who is struggling in Mathematics, I don’t see someone who lacks ability. I see someone whose future is still full of possibilities.”
He wants children who fear mathematics to believe they can master it.
Why students keep failing
After more than two decades in education and years spent marking regional examinations, Ramlal believes the Caribbean’s Mathematics grades are falling because students are being taught procedures before they understand concepts.
“In many classrooms, students are shown what to do, but not why they are doing it.”
The result, he said, is a generation of students who memorise formulas without understanding the mathematical principles behind them.
When examination questions are presented differently, many freeze.
“They were relying on memory rather than understanding.”
Instead, he believes teachers should first explain concepts, definitions and principles before introducing methods and formulas.
He compares learning mathematics to learning to ride a bicycle.
Like any skill, confidence comes through understanding followed by consistent practice.
Ramlal said his passion for simplifying mathematics inspired him to write CSEC Mathematics for All immediately after the revised CSEC syllabus was released.
“Its philosophy is deliberately different from traditional textbooks. Every chapter begins not with equations, but with everyday life. Students first discover how mathematics applies to budgeting, engineering, business, technology and construction before tackling formulas. Students first see that mathematics has purpose and relevance,” he explained.
Each solution is explained “line by line” so students understand not only what they are doing, “but why they are doing it.”
“When students understand the concepts, appreciate their real-world relevance, and are given opportunities to practise progressively, confidence begins to replace anxiety,” he added.
While much public attention focuses on students, Ramlal believes teachers also deserve greater support.
Ramlal said he is preparing to launch free regional workshops aimed at helping educators navigate the new CSEC syllabus and adopt classroom strategies that improve understanding.
“My objective is to share practical strategies that make difficult mathematical topics easier for students to understand.”
Among the techniques he promotes are introducing new concepts through familiar real-life situations, breaking difficult topics into manageable steps and encouraging teachers to explain the reasoning behind every mathematical decision.
He also wants educators to rethink their dependence on past papers.
“The problem is not that students don’t do enough past papers. The problem is that many students do past papers before they truly understand the mathematics.”
Past papers, he insists, should reinforce understanding—not replace it.
Although often asked whether Caribbean schools should copy countries like the United Kingdom, Ramlal believes the answer lies in adaptation rather than imitation.
The UK, he notes, identifies struggling students early through regular assessments instead of waiting until final examinations.
Teachers provide targeted intervention before learning gaps become too wide.
He also praises Britain’s emphasis on continuous teacher training and the Singapore-inspired Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach, which helps students visualise mathematical concepts before introducing abstract formulas.
“The Caribbean does not need to copy another education system,” he said.
“We need to adapt proven practices that fit our own context.”
Ramlal believes improving mathematics cannot be left solely to teachers.
Parents, he argues, have enormous influence even if they are not confident in mathematics themselves.
“They do not need to be mathematicians to make a meaningful difference.”
Simply asking children what they learned, checking homework and encouraging consistent study habits can transform confidence.
He also wants policymakers to continue investing in teacher development while ensuring quality learning resources remain affordable.
“No child’s mathematical potential should be limited because essential learning materials are beyond their family’s reach.”
Ramlal is quick to acknowledge that his own success did not happen alone.
He credits former secondary school teacher Boysie Sirju and University of the West Indies lecturer Professor Shreedhara Rao Gunakala as two of the people who shaped both his career and his character.
“They each shaped not only the teacher I have become, but also the person I strive to be.”
Their generosity inspired his own commitment to community service.
“I strongly believe the greatest legacy of a teacher is not measured by the lessons they teach, but by the lives they inspire.”
Despite years of disappointing examination results, Ramlal remains optimistic.
He believes the redesigned modular CSEC syllabus, increased teacher training and advances in artificial intelligence could revolutionise mathematics education across the Caribbean.
