An underclass of misfits doomed to poverty and crime

THE EDITOR: It is outrageous that our educational system loses 11000 children before the age of 16! Do teachers ever report absentee students to principals? Do principals ever try to contact parents to get an explanation? Do they ever contact the Ministry of Education to indicate that there is a problem? What exactly do these school administrators do?

Vision 2020 requires sweeping changes in our attitudes and practices for its fulfilment. How can we create a body of black entrepreneurs unless they have skills or products to sell?  And where else can they learn the skills and marketing strategies needed for an industrial society but in school? Technical and business education must be available and encouraged in secondary school! Go to the US and discover the wide range of successful businesses started by individuals without a degree, and the kinds of knowledge that students in this modern age should be acquiring. Moreover, all students must be able to achieve to some level to maintain their self-esteem. It is a waste of time attending school if inappropriate curricula and instructional strategies deem that you are a failure each day. There is only so much battering that the self-esteem of students can take.

Clearly, our educational system, as presently organised and administered, is failing many students and, in particular, creating a black underclass of failures and misfits, doomed to poverty and/or crime. This is clearly a modern form of slavery, and one created by the present unorganised system of education with its largely irrelevant curricula. We should not be using the public dollar to subsidise a denominational system whose curricula and objectives do not serve the public interest. Let their respective congregations foot the bill. As important as is Christianity for the world’s peoples, would Christian schools ever be able to deal impartially with topics like abortion, birth control, and homosexuality in a way that is consistent with democratic principles? And could Hindu schools run by the Maha Sabha, committed to Brahminical Hinduism, an exclusive, non-assimilationist “religion,” which believes in the inequality of man and which is a major source of discrimination and cruelty in India and ethnic tension in TT, ever play a meaningful part in making TT a cohesive and tension-free society? A Ministry of Education implies a single, coherent, and relevant policy on education administered in the interest of all students and in the short and long term interests of TT. Its schools must be adequately funded and staffed with competent administrators and well-trained teachers, pursuing a curriculum relevant to the needs of TT. It does not mean a Ministry of Denominational Education, subsidising different denominational schools, who pursue their particular religious agendas and antiquated ideas of education. Our schools seem preoccupied with academic certificates and formal exams that test the ability to withstand anxiety and the capacity for convergent thinking. What TT desperately needs are more students with the capacity for divergent thinking (creative thinking); it is they who will liberate us from our self-imposed prison of antiquated ideas and practices, which stifle our development.

It is also they who often become drop-outs, unable to cope with the dehumanising incompetence of some teachers and principals. Even in North America, the majority of students do not go on to university. In fact, a general university education is often a hindrance; for what the employer wants to know is what kinds of skills the applicant has to offer, and an explanation of how the applicant can be of benefit to his business. It is creative ideas, occupational skills, or specific expertise that lead to employment. It is also the ability to provide needed goods and services that lead to success in business. Business studies must be a part of the new curriculum. Our educational system is also failing our students in another way; they are leaving school without a sound understanding of their role as citizens, the nature and importance of our social institutions, the meaning of democracy, or the importance of law and order for the stability and progress of TT. Without a sound understanding why citizenship requires commitment to law and order, it is unlikely that law-abiding citizens will develop. Might this help explain the incidence of crime in TT? A democratic society must ensure that its schools are run democratically and teach its students the essential ideas of democracy. It is they who will ensure the continuity of democracy in our society. Technical education, business education, and citizenship must be key subjects in the new curriculum! Let the winds of change begin to blow with force!

KENNETH AQUAN-ASSEE
Port-of-Spain