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Editorials
Like pearls before swine...
Friday, October 23, 2009
We remember well the aplomb with which the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) officially opened the Green Pond basic, primary and high schools in St James in May 2006. Mr Maurice Johnson, one of the UDC's consultants, proudly reeled off statistics which seemed indicative of its commitment to education.
According to Mr Johnson, a total of 17 schools across the parishes of St James, Trelawny, Hanover and Westmoreland were to be constructed at a cost of $3.5 billion under the North Western Schools programme.
Towards the end of his speech, he said: "To the families from Green Pond and surrounding communities, thank you for your co-operation throughout the construction period. But your job is not yet complete as you now assume the role of caretakers for these facilities. We encourage you to enjoy and take very good care of them, for your benefit and for that of future generations."
Like pearls before swine, his words appear to have fallen on deaf ears, as indicated by the lead story about the latest break-in of the school in yesterday's edition of our sister title the Observer West.
Some $500,000 worth of computers and other supplies were taken from the school in that heist, the second since the school opened its doors in 2005.
This tells us something about the level of appreciation for the school, and more importantly what is supposed to represent a vehicle through which the children of Green Pond and surrounding communities could ride out of their poverty-stricken, crime-ridden environment to a better life.
It's either that they don't see the school in this light or that they just don't care.
Either way, the onus is on all of us to change heir mentality.
But this is going to require some radical intervention on the part of the Government, which must accept responsibility for perpetuating what has - from the beginning - been an elitist education system via placements that condemn some children to poorly staffed, poorly equipped schools which serve as holding areas until they are ready to take their place among the underprivileged and/or the criminal elements of this country.
It is going to take some amount of recognition and acknowledgement that any education system that leaves the poor and disadvantaged behind will eventually prove a discredit to itself and the environment which it purports to serve.
For the heart of man, moreso the uneducated, is desperately wicked.
And in the absence of the ideal investment to remedy what has so far been lip service to the concept of educational equity, nothing - not the good intentions of Principal Michael Ellis whom we commend for his bravely expressed commitment to rise above the trials of Green Pond, nor the myriad pleas by any of us for decency and common sense to prevail - can controvert that.
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