By Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner WriterON WEDNESDAY, May 2, 1945, when the House of Representatives met, Clifford Campbell, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament for Westmoreland western, brought a motion calling for the prevailing system of compulsory school attendance to be extended throughout the island.
The resolution read in part: "Whereas illiteracy prevails in Jamaica, and the Lambauch system has not proved the success hoped for, the children are running wild and growing up in ignorance in every country district and township; Be it resolved that compulsory attendance in school be gradually extended throughout Jamaica, so as to grapple with this grave situation of rising illiteracy."
The concept of compulsory education, he acknowledged, was not new, having been introduced in Kingston and some of the townships. Unfortunately, however, he said it had not yet reached most of the rural districts "that are teeming with children who are not getting the full benefit of the educational facilities."
CHILDREN RUNNING ABOUT
In moving the resolution, Mr. Campbell bemoaned what he described as the sight of "children at ease running about during school hours not using the training, the care and the education facilities that are provided for them in this country."
The call for only 'gradual' introduction of compulsory education was based, he said, on the recognition that some of the schools were not large enough to accommodate all the children in the community.
While acknowledging that parents and guardians faced financial difficulties, Mr. Campbell asserted that "the greatest asset this country has is the child population and unless it takes care of that asset, unless it does its very best to rear good citizens, I am quite sure that the country will be poorer for this awful sad neglect."
In justifying the additional expenditure that this initiative would entail, Mr. Campbell warned: "Either we are going to spend more money to train them, or build prisons to hold them, and asylums and almshouses; but these are not remunerative institutions. If we train our manhood and womanhood properly, the future manhood and womanhood of the country will be able intelligently to take care of themselves."
Clement Aitcheson, JLP Member of Parliament for Trelawny northern, gave his support to the resolution, even as he argued that the system of compulsion had failed in those areas of the country where it was already in effect. To make the system truly effective he said the country would have to provide assistance for the parents and guardians to send the children to school. "Any form of compulsion without that will only result in putting the people into prison by the hundreds," he warned.
ECONOMIC BETTERMENT
Wendell Benjamin, Manchester, southern, of the minority People's National Party (PNP), did not support the resolution, arguing that "You cannot have compulsory education until you have the people in better economic condition where they can afford to send their children to school - We should try and secure the economic betterment of the people and help the children with meals and clothes before we start talk about compulsion."
Compulsory education, he reasoned, would cost money, which would be better spent building new schools and providing equipment and materials.
Florizel Glasspole, the PNP's East Kingston MP, added his own voice of opposition to the motion, partly on the basis that there just was not enough school space to accommodate all the children, should they all be forced to attend. He estimated that there were 300,000 school-aged children in the country.
Claiming that the Government had provided space for only half that number, he suggested that even that was being under-utilised because of the poor economic circumstances of most people in the country.
"My view is that until you increase the accommodation for the children, until you increase the number of school teachers necessary to teach the children, it is comparatively a waste of time compelling the children to go to school," he said.
Iris Collins, the JLP Member for St. James north west, supported the motion. While acknowledging the difficult economic and social realities raised by some members, she asserted that there was good reason to begin the process towards full compulsory education immediately and expand it over time.
Alexander Bustamante was a model of brevity in his endorsement of the resolution: "Mr. Speaker, the mere fact that the word 'gradually' is written in the resolution, I am supporting it."
With that endorsement from 'The Chief' the resolution was put to the vote and was easily passed.
