JAMAICANS are extraordi-narily fortunate. The smallest of the Greater Antilles, we share the sub-oceanic mountain range with Cuba and Santo Domingo, similar climactic features and indistinguishable — except for size, location and our unique asset; English.

The cash people pay to learn it and the doors it opens are amazing. We are a tenth of Cuba and an eighth of Hispaniola; smack in the middle of the Windward Passage with coordinates 18.1 N by 77. 3 W: Columbus was ecstatic, told his queen of brown people in the “land of wood and water”. She was joyed.

Centuries on, with black people as occupants, Jamaica is still famous. In the 19th century most did not know we spoke English — house slaves had the best speech. Slavery had been oversold by London activists; they never saw the island, but black and white living “cheek by jowl” intertwined — some ennobled, some debased, lessons were learnt. Now English is the gold standard, we slaved for it, we own it. The French wish it wasn’t, Germans envy, Chinese want to replace it, but the language of innovation, the world, and maybe Heaven is English. Thrust on us by history, we need to use it to prosper legally — lotto scammers now use good telephone English for illegal enrichment. We were also gifted Jamaica, but we do not prosper it. I am, however, hopeful we can get there using English — BPO jobs, global offshore education and training, apps and more in cyberspace.

We are a nation of contradictions; we be modern, but in a patois cul de sac. Still, there is no conflict as English and patois have their place — just know which to use and when. We speak patois, but if you can’t speak English your path is dark.

Like Ebola, poor English is infectious. It starts in training college: teachers not proficient in English get degrees then infect school kids, who infect others, and the epidemic is on. Let’s fix lecturers and teachers so we see green English shoots in three to five years. Right now, self-study and copying good English speakers can help. Granny got her twang after a year in America; if you are a young lottery scammer you master it in six weeks. English speech is rote; listen, speak, repeat… voilá, mastery!

Parliament must stand up for English. Patois is an argot of the ‘belly bottom’, not prosperity. Those who talk-up values must talk-up English with equal passion. After 50 + 2 years of educated black leaders, a passport form has space to mark an “X”, Why? Illiteracy shames us. Big-up reading, writing and speaking English as the logistics hub and every striking thing we try, even senseless killing and sexual predation, are linked to it. Politicians made illiteracy the norm; they pamper, reward illiterates, so why learn English?

Language ambivalence in our society is real — English or patois? It makes teaching harder, the academy is useless and kids confused. Teachers are not blameless, but they too are victims; you teach what you know. Since 1962, one school (private one) fired a teacher for poor English, and no sexual predator teacher is fired by the same Education Code the ministry is trying to change. We patronise the poor and speak down to them in patois, yet talk to peers in English. Cabinets expose us to ridicule by giving the impression that patois is de rigueur, but we diss English at our peril. The IMF may not say, but we know English begets self-esteem; feel-good elicits effort and work builds prosperity. Mastery of English is a barometer of economic readiness. Let’s get ready!

Mastery of spoken English is easy. No child goes to school to learn to speak. Spanish (and French) teachers say listen to Spanish radio and TV and repeat — same for English. Immerse yourself now, learn grammar later. Years ago teachers left for other jobs and English fell off. We need orals as for other languages at GSAT, CSEC, CAPE and BA levels to verify competence. Many study English for 12 years plus and their writing, spelling, articulation is cringeworthy!

We moved the birth rate to small single digits, despite hype and condemnation that it was “to kill off black people”. We can move English proficiency on a mass basis by a comprehensive national plan. We have teachers, schools, JFLL, and we will soon have a free to air Education Broadcasting Network to bombard the nation with ‘good’ English — we all need practice. The first rule in speech is to breathe properly; manipulate your mouth, tongue and copy a good speaker.

BBC radio is good, as their African, Arab, Scottish, Hispanic, Jamaican, Asian voices are excellent. If your teacher was trained 25 years or more ago she speaks good English; prove all others. Our better English speakers are Dorraine and Cliff, but the news genre is a bit stilted, so let them lighten up and get on board to read the Bible, Salkey, Garvey, and Shakespeare on radio. One question: Why do we stress to get Spanish natives who live here to teach Spanish in schools; French natives for French, but never English residents to teach English? After years, I now know the test of an educated person is her/his use of the words “less” and “fewer” — the most misused by big people. I have forgotten why it is right but know the right. Patois undermines English and some speak bad English and think it is patois. If you know a “good amount” as distinct from a “good number” you may be proficient in English. Do you?

What must we do? Prime Minister Simpson Miller and Opposition Leader Holness must make 2015 “The year of English” — new year resolutions: To speak English in public. No one is dissed by English as research says all of us understand it; we just don’t express it well. We banned smoking; let’s ban patois in certain places too. English only at work, church, school, teachers’ college, university, government offices; mastery of English can end poverty and social distance more assuredly than flexi-time — legislate it!

Lee Kuan Yew — the man who told us truth — mandated English to build prosperity and restricted Singapore’s other languages. Cabinet must act. Let us incentivise proficiency in English — give prizes. Make schools “Patois-free Zones”; the Ministry must conduct independent language audits for teachers’ colleges and make them “English-only Zones”. Sanction poor reading, speech, writing by both students and lecturers. Mandate marking the English, not just the content. Cabinet must require English literacy (or a JFLL attendance card) to claim all benefits, even to entrepreneurs and farmers. Can machete men fill in the ABIS form to be a registered farmer or mark “X”? This is the 21st century; why no incentive or sanction to get him to learn English? No more Mr Nice Guy; time for tough love. Stay conscious, my friend!

Dr Franklin Johnston is a strategist, project manager and advises the minister of education. Comments to franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.