WARNINGS THAT the Jamaican workforce is suffering from a severe literacy deficit have been reinforced by news that some 17 per cent of the membership of the Taxi Drivers Association of Jamaica cannot read. The Traffic Authority has pledged to weed these drivers out of the system on a 'no tolerance' basis but this may be easier said than done.
That taxi drivers should be literate goes without saying. The Road Code needs to be studied and understood. Traffic signs need to be read and obeyed. Failure to comply with these minimum standards can jeopardise not only the individual driver of a taxi but passengers as well. The fact that so many who are illiterate nevertheless got their licences speaks to the level of corruption at every level of the society.
In many cultures, the drivers of taxi-cabs enjoy a special reputation for being savvy commentators on current events and engage in lively conversation with their passengers. They are often the source of information for the police and help to monitor the movements of shady characters as witness the current TV drama Hack which is popular in America. On the other hand, taxi drivers in other countries are identified with crime and are likely to take passengers 'for a ride' to inflate fares.
In Jamaica, illiteracy apart, taxi drivers have a mixed reputation, some so trustworthy they are regularly hired to take little children to school, others guilty of rape and association with the drug trade.
Teaching illiterate adults to read and write is not an easy exercise and can take considerable time. For the Traffic Authority, therefore, to suggest that drivers should join a JAMAL class to qualify for registration will not solve the problem in the near term. In fact if zero tolerance is enforced this will cause the ranks of the unemployed to increase. It will also result in fewer taxis being on the road, which might not be a bad thing as the profession now seems to be overcrowded and the competition cut-throat.
More thought will have to be given to the problem and the present situation demonstrates again how important it is for the citizenry of a country to be properly educated.
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