- We are leaving our children behind
This week, we undertake the unthinkable. We are approaching a holy grail, an area of governance that has provided numerous benefits to the people of SVG. The ULP’s lauded “education revolution” comes to mind. We investigate this “sacred” subject because, in the midst of progress, far too many youngsters are left behind.
The government vowed to enhancing education almost immediately after taking office in 2001. The government erected new schools in Sandy Bay, Fair Hall, Peter’s Hope, Edinboro, and Union Island, renamed the Richmond Hill Government School Thomas Saunders Secondary, and built learning resource centres throughout the country.
However, significant and long-term progress has been made in education, notably in assisting students, particularly poor and working-class children, to study and obtain a university education. Friendly regimes such as Cuba, Venezuela, Taiwan, and Mexico made considerable offers. Our students thrived at the University of the West Indies, and their numbers expanded to the point where Vincentian students outnumbered those born in Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
These developments indicate tangible gains in comparison to where we started. But — and this is a big but — the modifications do not represent a fundamental departure from the past. The content of the school curriculum remains neocolonial. Our country’s and the Caribbean’s great history is optional; critical thinking must be instilled, and rote learning reigns supreme.
While there are greater options for learning and progress, there is growing evidence of systematic failure. We are jeopardising our future by ignoring our youth. This is how and why.
Many pupils read below grade level four or five decades ago. Because they failed, one or two students were left behind. We are now graduating entire classes of pupils who cannot read or write as a result of social marketing. Many teachers bemoan the fact that many pupils are ill-prepared to perform in the classes in which they are placed.
It’s not uncommon to hear the Minister of Education lament his inability to track kids who enter Form 1 at most secondary schools during parliamentary debates. By Form 3, far too many pupils have vanished or gone missing. While migration may account for some student losses, evidence of others is increasingly appearing on the streets. Young boys aged 7 to 14 can be seen loitering and begging outside supermarkets, businesses, and fast-food restaurants.
When asked why kids are not in school, the reasons range from parents’ inability to afford needs such as shoes and uniforms to behavioural issues that result in suspension or expulsion. And that’s just the boys. Undoubtedly, girls face comparable issues.
The time has come to dial back the hyperbole of the education revolution and focus on the onerous business of ensuring that no child falls behind. “No Child Left Behind” must become more than just a catchphrase. Suspension or expulsion cannot and must not be used to address classroom indiscipline. Every school should have a student services centre. Such a facility must be staffed with professional counsellors and remedial personnel who are aware of many of the issues that young people face.
Teenage years are marked by an outpouring of hormones, which can be difficult for young adults. Some students are in terrible situations. Their parents may be unemployed, underemployed, or part of a sizable proportion of the population who can be classified as working poor. There is also peer pressure to dress, act, or perform in a certain manner. Many people hang their hats in places where their hands cannot reach. Many people who are forced to jump slip, fall, and begin a downward spiral of regret, failure, and worse.
We contend that the ULP Education Revolution failed to strike a balance between academics and excellent performance at CXC and CAPE. As a result, many young people regard themselves as failures if they are not among the top performers. Hundreds of youngsters are compelled to attend Community College and settle for a life of unemployment.
We talk about how work may be redeeming and meaningful, but we downplay the need of technical training. Previously, when secondary and university education was only available to a select few, impoverished and working-class youngsters were forced to train as masons, carpenters, and plumbers. Even when we create larger building projects, the majority of skilled labouring employment are now reserved for foreign labour. We must either outlaw this practise or require contractors to engage a certain number of nationals as skilled workers and apprentices.
We have thousands of new or modern vehicles that many of our older mechanics require assistance in repairing. It is now time to organise a lottery, select, and award scholarships to approximately 15 young men and women for auto mechanic training in the United States, Germany, and Japan.
Training in air conditioning, refrigeration, computer, and cell phone repair should be glamourized. Technical employment provide a fantastic way to make a living. Too many of our university graduates are stuck in professions that are unsuitable for their education. They grow dissatisfied, disillusioned, and unmotivated. Many are stuck in teaching jobs they would rather not have. Teaching becomes a means to an end rather than a motivated pursuit. The students suffer as a result of this.
Tourism has been used as the ULP government’s development model. The COVID pandemic exposed this ill-informed policy. But that’s how they roll. It is, nevertheless, a strategic vision that must be reassessed. While tourism should be a cornerstone, its limited benefits prohibit it from being the anchor in our development drive.
Where might we go for a silver lining that puts young first? Agriculture holds great promise. Agriculture looms huge if we mean what we say about food security. Young people can be encouraged to return to the land. We can move quickly to match idle young hands with idle lands. We can make agriculture more appealing. Encourage young people to form agricultural cooperatives and set aside land for organic farming. Provide incentives for people to avoid pesticides and poisons.
We lose when we settle. Everything must be questioned. Everything we do must prioritise youth. Too many young people are currently being left behind.
