Noted Scottish educationist, former Lord Chancellor, Lord Henry Brougham (1778-1868) wrote:—“Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave.” The constant shifting in the education system, reduction of funding for schools, institutions leads one to believe that there is a lack of support for our children and could lead, not only to an uneducated generation, but also enslavement.
People who lack education have trouble getting through life, worse health, poorer than the educated, shorter life span, unemployment, exploitation, gender inequality and very importantly, a lack of voice [often leading to violent behaviour.]
The important question: Is education a fundamental right?
Yes! Every person deserves to have a chance at an education, so they have a chance for a successful career and life.
Father of the Peoples National Movement (PNM) and first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Eric Williams, addressing thousands of school children at an Independence Day rally at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain on August 30, 1962 advised the children: “Your future lies in your book-bag.” The message then and it applies even today, is that our children must be educated to ensure the future prosperity of Trinidad and Tobago.
If alive today, he would be shocked to know that our children are attending schools whose facilities are in a state of collapse and in many instances, cannot attend schools because the facilities have already collapsed, while parents and the national population are fed promises that have not been fulfilled for many years.
Dr Eric Williams will also be shocked to know that the children of T&T are attending schools with half-empty book bags and no laptops, when the world has moved into the digital age. He also will be shocked to know that our children have been denied financial assistance at tertiary level and even those of our children who have won national scholarships and who are studying at universities abroad, are denied their subventions on a timely basis.
We do not believe that any mother or father should transfer parental responsibility to the state, but what is emerging in Trinidad and Tobago is that the responsibility has shifted from parents and the churches to the Government.
In Trinidad and Tobago a child’s formal education should begin at the age of three, at a pre-school centre. At the age of five, the child is transferred to primary school where he/she is taught free of cost and provided with breakfast and lunch and free books until the age of twelve.
A previous administration negotiated with the International American Development Bank (IADB) for a loan to expand early childhood education across the nation, this is an important component in the full development of a child’s education. Many of the IADB funded early education centres have been opened and providing a valuable education start to our children, but quite a number remain incomplete and unoccupied because contractors have not been paid.
I cannot imagine how then, one can combine factors plaguing the education system to be simply solved by a formula called “zoning” and hope to achieve any chance of success.
A number of issues must be taken into account before tabling such an idea. It appears to be a tactic to spread the higher calibre students across under-performing schools and needy students in high functioning schools under the pretext that resources and opportunities are going to be evenly distributed.
The Ministry of Education already selects 100 per cent of primary school students’ places and 80% of all secondary school places.
It’s obvious the Ministry would depend on those students with remarkable SEA skills to fix a system which the Ministry and its technocrats have failed to improve over the decades.
As the nation’s schools re-opens on 5th September, parents across the land remain concerned that the school children transportation facilities provided by the Ministry of Education will collapse because of non-payment to those contracted to provide the facility. The school feeding programme is also on the brink of extinction, due to food supply shortage.
As a stakeholder in education at the ECCE, Primary and Secondary levels, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Education Board of Management is deeply concerned about the failures in our education system will dramatically affect the future generations of our land.