Hopping mad that a friend who was so concerned about the poor 'Common Entrance' ( or whatever name it is that they're giving the Primary to Secondary school exam) results that she wrote a letter to the minister of Education and had a cozy chat with him wherein it was mutually agreed that the He and the Ministry needs support. This from the man who was going to take Science and Social Studies off the exam list, leaving just maths and English!!
I am annoyed because it's not like we didn't know the Education system was being eroded since the 1970's and with the high rate of Migration most of the Good Teachers found Greener pastures overseas, leaving the poorer ones behind, struggling to get their Education Diploma while leaving Classrooms and students unattended. However that's not to blame the teachers as parents need to shoulder at least 70% of problem as it seems to me schools are regarded as repositories for 'their little darlings' when they (the parents) have had enough; but getting quite abusive and aggressive when discipline is being enforced. It's hard to instill that in children whose parents are in dire need of it themsleves!
It all contributes to a 'dumbing down' of the society where Education is not valued and the objective is a Piece of Paper which will soon be rendered useless as it would not reflect the ability of the person. Come on People-- it's been almost 40 years since we discovered the problem and it ain't getting better!
An interesting point of view was stated that we need to teach our children to be good citizens and persons and not just concentrate on the academic subjects-- in fact harkening back to Plato, that first ethics need to be taught and then select those promising students for further training for Leadership. Nice thought but wholly inpractical in today's rushed world.
The majority of people in Georgetown seem to be having just one or two children but alarmingly the most incapable parents are heading into double figures, at what point does Society stomp a heavy foot down on them? The Berbice neighbour, she of the 15 yr old illiterate who toyed with prostitution and had a baby at 16yrs and the son sent to the New Opportunity Corps for stealing, took the 13yr old out of school to look after the younger ones as she seems hellbent on producing a child each year-- a good case study on how the system fails the average jane. I told her that I would contact Social Service with a view to preventing the eldest from getting pregnant and/or HIV ( all the neighbours could see it coming) but after six months of Ms Green going on numerous 'courses' ( what the hell are 'they' teaching these people??) the two social workers who turned up merely threatened her that they would put her in jail if the children were not sent to school and never bothered to follow-up. To quote Benjamin Franklin: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I am annoyed because it's not like we didn't know the Education system was being eroded since the 1970's and with the high rate of Migration most of the Good Teachers found Greener pastures overseas, leaving the poorer ones behind, struggling to get their Education Diploma while leaving Classrooms and students unattended. However that's not to blame the teachers as parents need to shoulder at least 70% of problem as it seems to me schools are regarded as repositories for 'their little darlings' when they (the parents) have had enough; but getting quite abusive and aggressive when discipline is being enforced. It's hard to instill that in children whose parents are in dire need of it themsleves!
It all contributes to a 'dumbing down' of the society where Education is not valued and the objective is a Piece of Paper which will soon be rendered useless as it would not reflect the ability of the person. Come on People-- it's been almost 40 years since we discovered the problem and it ain't getting better!
An interesting point of view was stated that we need to teach our children to be good citizens and persons and not just concentrate on the academic subjects-- in fact harkening back to Plato, that first ethics need to be taught and then select those promising students for further training for Leadership. Nice thought but wholly inpractical in today's rushed world.
The majority of people in Georgetown seem to be having just one or two children but alarmingly the most incapable parents are heading into double figures, at what point does Society stomp a heavy foot down on them? The Berbice neighbour, she of the 15 yr old illiterate who toyed with prostitution and had a baby at 16yrs and the son sent to the New Opportunity Corps for stealing, took the 13yr old out of school to look after the younger ones as she seems hellbent on producing a child each year-- a good case study on how the system fails the average jane. I told her that I would contact Social Service with a view to preventing the eldest from getting pregnant and/or HIV ( all the neighbours could see it coming) but after six months of Ms Green going on numerous 'courses' ( what the hell are 'they' teaching these people??) the two social workers who turned up merely threatened her that they would put her in jail if the children were not sent to school and never bothered to follow-up. To quote Benjamin Franklin: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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