Hilary Robertson-Hickling
TO BE or not to be is the question, by that I mean the Spelling Bee which has brought honour and exposure to many individuals, communities and schools. A film has just been released in the United States about an African American girl who beats the odds and wins the coveted championship. I hope that the triumph of Jodi-Ann Maxwell will soon become a film which demonstrates that Jamaicans can match their intellect with some of the best in the world and win.
Recently another Jamaican girl demonstrated that our intellectual development is important and must be encouraged.
Leaders in the inner-city community from which she hails organised a motorcade to honour her achievement locally in anticipation of her international debut. The community was reminding itself that good can come out of the community and that this young woman could inspire others to achieve.
COMPETITIVE SPIRIT
It is time for us to honour Rev. Glen Archer for his promotion of excellence and his ability to encourage hard work and a healthy competitive spirit in young Jamaicans. Like many other Jamaican coaches he has found a formula to get the best out of our young people. I hope that many more coaching academies will be established in sports and for the development of the intellect because far too many of our talented young people are falling through the tracks. Perhaps it is time for a Jamaican educational channel to encourage achievement in many young people who spend the day watching popular music videos and pornography, as well as movies.
If there are Jamaicans who are promoting the mastery of the English language in the schools through the medium of the competition we need to train many more of them. I was struck by Mr. Casserly's observation that Jamaica was the third largest English-speaking country in the Americas and that this gave the country a competitive advantage for outsourcing from the USA. He noted that in order to recruit appropriate staff he had to interview a large number of unsuitable candidates and that he had to establish a remedial programme in house.
ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE
As many ways of encouraging young people as possible have to be found as there is increasing evidence that we are losing ground and that the transformation of education will be a complex and costly affair. Whether through sports, the performing arts, the uniformed groups, church and community activities and mentorship programmes. Whatever has worked must be extended and improved.
I was saddened to see a demonstration in Danvers Pen, St. Thomas on the TV news in which the young men of the community identified the problem of the destruction of the "grines". When I listened further and saw the appearance of Mr. James Robertson, the Member of Parliament, I learned that they were speaking about the need to repair the groynes which had been washed away.
Many people laugh at the ridiculous spelling on the signs and on the placards at demon-strations, but it reveals a deeper problem. It reveals that many have decided that it is not necessary to get the correct spelling from a dictionary or another source, that mastery of English is not a priority. Imagine the response of those people who see the news online. They must think that we are not ready for the knowledge economy. Indeed they are right.
Hilary Robertson-Hickling is a lecturer in the Department of Management Studies, UWI, Mona.
