Dear Editor,

It was quite interesting to read Abde Lee’s letter, “Education the way to end garrison politics, Prime Minister” in the October 30 Sunday Observer. As a young student in high school, his points are well articulated, and reinforce the very reasons why education holds the key! This young reader, is an example of what this country is hoping for. When PM Holness decided to keep education under his belt – as PM – I thought this move was highly significant. Former PMs are usually more protective of other critical areas directly related to our economy like finance, planning and development. The PM, however, elaborated in his inauguration speech, “We must fight poverty with education.” This is a profound statement and he is absolutely correct. No educated country is poor. I would also add, an educated country will demand (and ensure) good governance and accountability from its elected officials! What transpired over the past couple months in Jamaica re Dudus for instance, would’ve forced an entire government to resign, had it occurred elsewhere. Same could be said of the numerous other scandals and stories of corruption we’ve tolerated over the years. You cannot feed nonsense to an educated electorate, education is the key.

Our country requires more serious attention and investment in education to cope with increased demand and population growth, and to rectify the many weaknesses in our current system. The GSAT process needs to be fine-tuned, I have never been a supporter of GSAT which does more marginalising than anything else. We could learn from our neighbour Cuba which boasts one of the best education systems in the world, all Cuban children have full access to primary and secondary education; they move freely from one stage, to the next, and only begin choosing options such as technical, vocational pre-university, as they advance further at the secondary level. Our GSAT process force that choice too early, creating unnecessary stress and frustration at a young age. University education is also free in Cuba. Here, Michael Manley introduced that years ago, it worked for a while, and many of our current leaders prominent in business, banking, government and other sectors, benefited from this. They would’ve found themselves on very different paths today, had they not had the option of free university education.

Cuba spend as much as 10 per cent of its entire budget on education, more than twice most countries that can afford it. Jamaica spends far less. Class sizes are also limited and education is considered a right, regardless of race, class, background. Class curriculum, even in primary schools, include practical “hands-on” activities, such as gardening, dance, health and hygiene. Cuba’s teachers are also highly educated, with more than half holding advanced master’s degrees. With this direction, the end results must be profound. Other educated countries in the Caribbean such as Barbados, Trinidad and The Bahamas, continue to have high GDP per capita income, and continue to rank highly, even globally. Literacy rates in these countries are also high. We don’t even have to look far for prime examples, and we should learn from what’s around us.

I commend the PM on the prominence he is continuing to give to education. He should also similarly look towards culture and sports, as these areas also have potential to help reduce poverty and stimulate economic development and ultimateley reduce crime. Let’s face it, no one really want to be poor, and with growth in income, comes improved quality of life. We all benefit.

P Chin

Canada

chin_p@yahoo.com