THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WRITE in response to Dawn Ritch's article in The Sunday Gleaner of August 25, captioned 'The Origin of Free Education'. I find this article extremely nauseating. Miss Ritch, either because of her traditional habit of rushing into print before getting the facts or for political expedience, has degenerated to the depth of stating some very glaring falsehoods in her campaign to promote the interest of the Jamaica Labour Party.
Falsehood number 1: Education for the working class people was the product of the JLP government under Edwin Allen as Minister of Education in the 1960s. Rubbish! By education for the working class I presume she meant secondary education. This was the work of the PNP under the late Florizel Glasspole, Minister of Education who introduced the Common Entrance Examination in 1957. Many of us remember the very stiff opposition to this by the rich people who argued that Norman Manley and his cohorts caused their maids and yard boys children to be sitting in the same classrooms and sleeping in the same dormitories as theirs. The JLPs campaign slogan in response to the effort was "Education can't nyam - give the people food - education come later." The PNP retort was "Education can't nyam but it will mek you nyam."
Falsehood number 2: The JLP focused on and developed early childhood education under D.R.B. Grant in the 1980s. Nothing is further from the truth than this. The thrust in Early Childhood Education was a special project of Prime Minister Michael Manley. Mr. Grant spread the message like a great evangelist and he was always saying, "I want everyone to catch Prime Minister Manley's vision on this." Miss Ritch, your historical background is a total mess - you need to apologise to Jamaica - so many of us know the facts.
Dawn, you argue about education being a right. You did not say up to what level which I take to mean up to the highest level. Why then do you not blame the JLP for starting the backward slide by introducing the cess for university students after Michael Manley removed all fees up to that level?
Would Miss Ritch care to remind Jamaica that the JLP closed Moneague College which was set up by the PNP in 1957 to increase the supply of trained teachers and that the PNP had to reopen it when the negative effects of this began to bite?
I am, etc.,
EUSTACE BOGLE
Santa Cruz
St. Elizabeth
