THE EDITOR, Sir:
THERE HAS been much talk of the crime problem, the private sector, the government and those in the media constantly lament the state of things and how bad this problem has become. It is my opinion, however, that it is our leaders who have the problem. I think their problem is that they have no idea what the problem is. Our problem is not crime - crime is the consequence of our failure to deal with the real problems. One of the real problems is our education system, or more specifically, the inequalities in our education system.
Are you surprised when a student from a lesser known school receives nine distinctions in the CXC examinations? If so, is it that you don't expect him or her to do so well? Why will the child who attends Campion College or Immaculate Conception, nine times out of ten, turn out to be a more productive citizen than the child who attends Kingsway High or Haile Selassie Comprehensive High? It seems that we have failed to acknowledge there is a lack of adequate classroom space - where in many instances two students share the same desk, we have failed to acknowledge that there are inadequate toilet facilities in some of these schools, there are ill-equipped laboratories to teach our children the sciences, and there are inadequate facilities to teach our children industrial arts and information technology.
FEEDING PROGRAMME
To add to that, extra-curricular programmes such as music are non-existent. We have also yet to establish a Comprehensive National School Feeding Programme, because in 2005, hundreds of our children still go to school without a proper meal.
We cannot forget the sacrifice of our teachers who are expected to produce good results in very adverse circumstances, nor can we forget the parents who struggle to send their children to school despite the economic hardships. We must laud those philanthropic individuals and organisations who donate to some of these schools, but certainly we must 'big up' the children who successfully complete their secondary education despite the conditions. But I hasten to say that we are doing thousands of our children across this country a great disservice, because if we pay in proportion, equal attention to all our children, do we not contribute to the common prosperity of our country?
The fact is, as it has always been, that a sound education is the only means of avoiding the mire of poverty and it is the surest means of acquiring a sense of purpose and self-worth. If we are going to transform that ignorant young man into an informed citizen, that impoverished young woman into a productive citizen, and if we are going to instil the values of self-reliance and independence, then a proper education system is our only hope. I applaud recent efforts of the government to invest more in education, but I still hasten to say that much more needs to be done because if we should preserve the independence we so dearly cherish, then an equally sound education must be guaranteed to all - now.
I am, etc.,
PAUL THOMPSON
paul.icon@gmail.com
Taylor Hall, UWI, Mona
Via Go-Jamaica
