I used to watch the show and I too syopped watching the night they declared Q.C was into the semi-finals. I didn’t watch the finals. Same old, same old.

No motive necessary. Barbadians are passive, even more so with “seemingly unimportant” cooking competitions that “only” affects kids. The furore from blatant bias wouldn’t be enough to dampen ratings. The disadvantaged go home sad, the winners end up happy, and another series will begin next year. Guess “corruption and bias” really is now a part of our culture. Sad thing is that our children are the ones who are being given the wrong view on life fairness and justice. We will continue to reap what we sow as a society.

It is sad indeed. The thing is that these things sometimes favour the newer schools as well. We seem to have a problem with setting fair rules and guidelines and then letting things take their course.

I can remember when the National under 19 cricket competition disregarded seedings and ended up having harrison College and Lodge , the two finalists from the previous year, in the same preliminary group. Since only one team could advance it meant that only one of the heavyweights could make the semifinals. When questioned about the non use of seedings despite the rules one of the administrators steupsed and said “wait, y’all dont want to give the other schools a chance to win?”

I recall hearing that QC team was constantly very strong on creativity, flavours.

Because one team finished first does not mean the other lost. QC may have won by 1, indeed it may have been a tie broken by discussion will yet produce a winner.

I thought Qc’s plate was impressive given the range offered including 2 sauces and how the items were prepared/presented. I’ve never seen anyone else on the show ever do that.. most do the drizzle over the plate thing. Qc demonstrated greater range and creativity.

Why must something subversive be read into a simple win.. Would it have been different if it were CP vs St James or HC & QC?? Give the competition and the schools a break.

People have to stop blaming others for things, sometimes and yes most of the time we lose because someone was better – in one area or overall, or we just were not good enough. Thats reality! but we appear to be teaching children that its never their fault or just circumstances for things. I failed because teacher aint teach we nothing rather than I failed to learn enough or what I knew well didn’t come onthe test as I planned. These attitudes create messed up people and an even more messed up society.

All persons from the Newer secondary schools suffer an inferiority complex. They blame the 11+, colour, CXC, teachers, parents, sun, moon, rain, dust, leaves, ants, wind,…. get the point?
Listen work hard like QC people and you will achieve.
Obviously QC got into the finals because they compensated for the time in all the other categories that were tested in the semis. If the newer secondary schools think they were disadvantaged, you have 2 options: Boycott the next series or Come even stronger next year.

Another characteristic of the newer secondary school product is their bitterness as is seen in the previous post by Sargeant.

Get serious, do you want grantley adams to represent Barbados and when someone from overseas asks them a question they say things such as ” I is do da cah it luk gud” or “gimme de meat and i gine cuk um”. If you want to put Barbados on the world stage we must have the most intelligent minds bearing the flag and making Barbados proud. Dame Elsie Payne, Mia Mottley are two prominent old scholars. Call a grantley adams name? HMP 6723??

It’s amazing how a simple cooking competition with unclear criteria for awarding points can raise the ire of older secondary school supporters and bring the debate of newer vs. secondary schools to the fore. This debate needs not be had because a person’s worth and value to this country has nothing to do with where they went to school. The reality is that our educational system fails many of our young people, not because it fails to provide them with the tools and a measure of equal opportunity, but because it doesn’t provide alternatives for those who will need them (and we all know who will need them after common entrance results are released). Society has propagated and pushed this notion of one school being better than the next into the psyches of parents and children alike rather than the “be the best that you can be, whereever you are, doing whatever brings you joy” mindset. This is reinforced by the “I am better than you” because “I know more” or “where I come from” falsehood that many educators subliminally and unknowingly pass on to their charges. Herein lies one of the basic problems that we have as a country and one that seems impossible to solve or alleviate given the contentment of those at the top, the ignorance of those at the bottom and the nonchalant attitude of those in the middle. We willingly perpetuate the class and academic status quo subtly and overtly, while trying to “fool” our young people that “such a thing doesn’t exist”, and that “all you need to succeed is to get an education.” Hypocrisy in the highest, but a vestige of our current state of societal existence and interaction.

As for the competition, just another case of the perennial “Bajan” no accountability. If QC won based on “non-visible” criteria, then the organisers should be able to state what they were without compunction. One cannot be upset with the persons who were upset and judged based on what they saw. But then again, in this society it’s not what we see that’s important, it’s what happens behind the scenes or under the table. Just another Barbadian reality.

The number of prominent people from Grantley Adams School can be counted on 1 hand with fingers remaining. However, if you were to count the number of them in HMP Dodds, you would need several hundred fingers to count them.

Why cant you newer secondary school people work as hard as QC students. When I go home form school, I see all of the newer secondary school students playing, riding around their bicycles, while I go and do my homework, research projects and SBA. Why blame QC for their lack of commitment? They deserve to lose. They are losers.

The present principal of QC is an alumni of……Parkinson!!! Irony of ironies ain’t it QC boy?

Now Pat wrote “If the government would staff ALL schools with properly educated and qualified teachers,…” Well Pat has been away a long time so I will excuse her this time but it must be said that ALL schools are staffed with properly educated and qualified teachers. The overwhelming majority of the leading teachers (in terms of experience, pedagogical skills, subject content knowledge and promotion of professional development) are actually in the so called Newer Secondary schools and many are themselves graduates of the said schools. Critical thinking is obviously not engendered at QC if ‘QC boy’ is to be used as an example. Many of the newer schools were established in the late 70’s and 80’s (less than 30 years ago). Most of their graduates would be under 40 today so it can only be in recent time that these persons will start occupying leading positions in Barbadian society. So we are now seeing people like Hartley Henry, Chris Sinckler and Michael Lashley coming to the fore and in fact represent the future leadership of this country.

QC boy

I believe that you are being deliberately mischievous and provocative (not even a QC student could be so stupid). By the way, as a QC “boy(?)” how do you feel about the fact that the school isn’t named Quee(r)n’s College for nothing?

I hope you see what happens when older secondary school folk mix with newer secondary school folk. A
‘Georgie Porgie’ is produced. Enough said…

And what if QC girls get abortions? at least they are putting their careers first and foremost and will get a child(ren) later when they are ready. You knwo what that is called? careful Planning for the future.i.e Common senses which you Georgie Porgie seem to be void of.

And to ‘Anonymous’, Have you ever heard the saying: it takes one to know one? Go figure…

QC Boy

Do you know that Georgie Porgie is a doctor, and that he won a Barbados Exhibition, and that he made a contribution to National life.

As an ex QC boy, myself, I must agree with GP that the drivel that you are posting is an embarrassment to QC students!
I must agree with GP also that as a QC boy, so called, you ought to be exhibiting a much higher level of intelligence than you are doing on this forum.

Like GP, I also ask “Are you merely a clown? Or are you a whole circus?”

Your persistent ranting and raving is big embarrassment to QC students, and seems to indicate that you have no class, and just do not know how to behave. You are a very ignorant and arrogant twit!

When GP gets so annoyed as to tell you “Now shut up and go ask your momma to wash out your dirty mouth with blue soap!” that speaks volumes of what an irritant you are.

@GP

Could it be you have muddied the waters here? How could you say that the older schools are only equipped to teach boys!?!

@Anonymous

No offence meant my friend. What I should have said was that the teachers be qualified in the subjects they teach. It still does not happen in all schools. I know personally of teachers in the newer secondary schools teaching CXC’s with high school and Erdiston, while in the older schools they require university graduates. Why should QC or HC have a graduate to teach English while The Garrison has to make do with some one from Princess Margarets or St. George Secondary who has a few CXCs and Erdiston?

QC person please stop. Now. You are an embarassment to the school. The QC I went to did not teach pupils to be arrogant and insufferable. I also am beginning to think you are attempting to be provocative. Attempting. Your articles are offensive and insensitive. Stop. Or probably change your name by dropping the QC.

Pat

One person or one school does not characterise a whole system. I challenge you to produce a notice of a vacancy in a “newer” secondary in the last ten years that was in any respect different than that for an “older” secondary school.

Anyone interested can check any of the notices in the press inviting applications for teaching posts. In yesterday’s Nation there was one such a notice for the Deighton Griffith School. The posts advertised were for teachers of French and Spanish, Art, Metal Work and Technical Drawing, and for Fine Arts. The required qualifications as stated are “Candidates should have a degree in the relevant subject area from an approved university or suitable advanced certification. Teacher training would be an asset.”

I think it very important that these silly and erroneous notions that the teaching staff at “newer” secondary schools are somehow less qualified, or are inferior in terms of certification than those at the “older” secondary schools be dispelled. Such myths contribute to the problem of motivating students to take the opportunities afforded them and to get the support of parents for these schools.

What time period are you referring to? In the last 15 years or 30 years ago? In the past when the “newer’ secondary schools were established many of the teachers came from the Primary/Comprehensive schools. Many of those teachers possess the Erdiston Certificate and then attained a Bachelor’s degree while teaching. For at least the last 15 years, newly recruited teachers in all schools would have a bachelor’s degree except those in the technical/vocational subjects.

The professional qualification for ALL teachers in ALL secondary schools is the Diploma in Education which is done at Erdiston or a similar qualification e.g PGCE (from the UK) DipEd (UWI). The other professional qualification is the Certificate in Teaching for Primary School teachers and the Certificate in Educational Management for senior teachers and administrators in all schools.

Look…

Though QC Boy was rather arrogant in his summary, he does raise some valid points. I will admit that quite a few people from QC, HC, St. Michael’s , Combermere, et al. do work hard while they see other out there playing & having fun. I’ve seen it personally, because I did it (studied) as well. I’m NOT saying that that is ALWAYS the case, but more often than not, this is the situation.

It depends on what priorities you choose to look at. Everybody makes mistakes, regardless of the school one went to . There are some who do well naturally, some who work at it, and some who just can’t cope. In reality it is survival of the fittest.

I wish it wasn’t, but it is.

The resources given to people also have an impact. Maybe QC in the semis had such a creative & tasty dish that it may have beaten the other schools. In cooking competitions, it’s NOT all about getting plated first. It’s also about WHAT you plate, HOW you plate it & ultimately, HOW TASTY it is at the end of the day! A cooking contest WITHOUT taste? Hmmmm…I think THAT may be more subversive than the “School Bias” classification!

But QC Boy, realize this…there ARE exceptions to the trend, and you have to recognise this. Not everyone who comes from an “older” school will be a genius, and not everyone who comes from a “newer” school will be a delinquent. There are folks of every type in BOTH schools, it is up to the individual to decide for themselves what they will do.

Education is one thing, but what use is it if you don’t apply it in the right way?

I await the backlash…. 😀

The name of the school is Queen’s College not Queens College or Queens College Secondary School.

The principal of Harrison College is considered an embarassment to students who go there because of his frequent use of green verbs.

If real men go to HC, Lodge etc what does that make the girls who attend those schools.

QC boy…sigh you disappoint.