We have a very large graveyard to move out of the MOE. Very informative clip. Will this message make sense to our MOE, our teachers? Our system does not teach children to think creatively and independently. There is a problem of transferring of knowledge and skills, therefore hindering our problem solving abilities. We have reached a stage where we can no longer function and administer effectively. It is clearly evident in the current crop of leaders we have. How can these leaders and administrators effect change when they don’t know how to? The poor crop of educators as Caswell stated is more damaging to the students.

The Education system reminds me of an old car, it is oiled and lubricated on a semi regular basis but belches the occasional black smoke. The shocks are worn out but the passengers survive the bumpy ride, from time to time minor repairs are effected but the owners are in no hurry to trade it in because they would face fierce objection from the family members who have grown attached to all of its squeaks and quirks and can’t bear to part with the old ginger squeezer. It was a single model that came without any options; on a really good day it can go up to 60mph but in a fuel injected world it is getting by with a carburetor and manual shift.

Meanwhile all the new models are sleek and aerodynamic, they come with standard features i.e. Automatic Transmission; Seat belts, ABS brakes, Traction Control, GPS , Air condition and are fuel efficient. They also have an array of optional features which allows you to customize the vehicle to your heart’s content. If your musical taste favour Jazz here is the Satellite radio and you can tune in to an all Jazz station all the time. They are also environmentally friendly and leave a much smaller carbon imprint than the old lunker.

Both vehicles will get you where you are going but one will get you there quicker and in greater comfort, while the other may be subject to the occasional breakdown and when it rains prayer may help.

Traditions are very difficult things to break especially in the sphere of social order. The answer to the question if we can transform to a high performance jurisdition is, nand! … knowledge and skills is a new requirement to competitive and productive.
…Bim produces managers and politics without principles.

Our type of education will not prepare our students to be marketable. If one graduate student applies for a visa to work in a “big country” and has a M.A in economics and another does the same with a degree our even just a City and Guilds certificate in electricity, the skilled student will succeed over the acedemic student, simply because there are thousands of acecdemics now who are fighting for survival, while skilled students are on demand, yet we here in Barbados will build regular schools but still only have one skills school. The total education system needs revamping

Would it not have been an imaginative decision if PR Stuart had appointed a Ralph Jemmot to be Minister of Education? He seems to be the only one who is willing to discuss the issues in a sensible manner.

We have a problem in the way skills are taught. Many of our tradesmen are still using stone age tools. I am not saying that these tools are useless but they are hindering the timely delivery and finish of jobs.

Take for example carpenters and joiners, many do not own nor know how to use a nail gun. Many are unaware of the different tool accessories available to do a better job. Many do not have photos of their work digitally, online or use email. Many are unable to write up a quote nor price a job properly. These tradesmen are like our Doctors who are quite happy dispensing the same brand of medicine they learnt 40 years ago.
This is a technological age and we must use it to our advantage.

My Fridgedaire electric range oven and broiler stopped working a few weeks ago, so I decided to try fixing it. I googled my problem and went onto the online forums to see if there were similar cases and how it was solved. I followed some of their guidelines, I unscrewed the back panels after unplugging it. I checked to see if there were any burnt out wires and found none. I then got my multimeter and checked all the connections for connectivity and found that all were good. I called my electrician neighbour to double check the wires for me and he got the same results. So the problem would be in the clock control panel. I called around and found one at Courts Service center for $101.00 BDS ($50.00 USD). I had checked online and found one for $89.00 USD at Amazon. I also checked with another local business who were out of stock and the last price they had for that part was $240.00 BDS ($120.00USD). I was so pleased that I managed to save some money by buying the part locally. I installed it myself and presto my oven and broiler are working beautifully. Moral of my story? Don’t be afraid of these large appliances when something goes wrong. Just google it!

We need educators with a passion for learning and and a passion for excellence. We need educators who will teach thinking outside the box and not teach how to be comfortable inside the box. We need people with fire in their belly to succeed. WE NEED PEOPLE WITH COMMON SENSE AND AN OPEN MIND IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM WHO WOULD CHALLENGE PEOPLE TO CHANGE AND RAISE THE BAR!

In the context of the discussion what can we make of Attorney General Brathwaite’s lament that we are generating too many lawyers BUT the international business sector is not supported with the required legal expertise to support the sector?

A very informative video. The very first order of business is to abolish the Common Entrance Examination. It is no longer relevant. Since the 1970s progressive thinkers have been calling for education reform. However, the apologists always bring several red herrings into the discourse , so we end up discussing non-issues. The video shows an enlightened approach when discussing important issues. The truth is that unless we reform the system we would see little or no improvement in our socio -economic conditions. Hopefully the more traditional and established media will follow BU and start bringing such discussions as the video shows, into the national discourse, so that we may have a real debate about education.I firmly believe that many of our problems in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour are rooted in our elitist educational system. Of course, our social scientists have failed to expose these truths. Thanks for the info Bu.

@GP

You always seem to be willing to let the dictate/behaviour of others influence your willingness to respond on BU.

@GP

You continue to reinforce the point. Your responsibility is to contribute based on your perspective on the issue as you have delienated in your last comment. Why bother about comments you don’t agree? Stay on you message and lead the discussion, SOME, may follow or NOT but such is a fact of life.

@Georgie Porgie,

I stand by my comment at Hants | March 25, 2013 at 11:25 PM |

Education reform should be evolutionary nor revolutionary.Reading writing, spelling and arithmetic is still fundamental to lifelong learning.

Reading ebooks is no different from reading paper books but the key is to get children to read more instead of playing video games.

Georgie Porgie I understand your reluctance to cast pearls and watch them get covered by bovine excrement but for those who will create jewellry from the pearls it may be worth your time.

Georgie Porgie wrote,”but what is clear those who have the power to fix things or are paid so to do, are not much wiser.”

Enough of the self deprecation GP. We know as Austin Clarke would write “you bright as shite an shining too”.

The BU Intelligentia (and they know who they are) respect your opinions.

I know that I am not the sharpest knife in the box, but it strikes me strange that this lot of talk about thinking outside the box and excellence and some semblance of social re-engineering, shall lead to a cadre of young thinkers who shall be determined to turn this place up side down. Yet we yearn not realizing the ramifications if we train people to think. It is not even allowed in the US; Fox News and CNN and the other s see to that. Even our universities are set as a system to procreate indoctrination, with clones of thought parroting some one else agenda.

Solomon once said the more knowledge a man acquires the more sad he becomes; I wonder why?

Chuckle…..well said BAFBFP,we all know it and yet we “like it so”,if not we would have done something about it long time ago….

@ David.
You know I would jump into this discussion. I want to deal with Miller first, then og on ta discuss a number of other things especiall what TED said in his lecture.
Miller,
How many Barbadians are studying Law at Cave Hillo? I happen to know that the majority of students in the Law Faculty are from other Caribbean Islands. I was an invigilator at UWI invigilating examinations in Law and many other courses, so I know whereof I speak. How many students studing Medicine in Barbados (yes they study medicine (not pre-med) in Barbados, so many of the Barbadian students do not have to go overseas (nor do they) to study Medicine? What percentage of the total student body at Cave Hill study Law and Medicine? What is the percentage of Non Academic courses being offered at BCC and Sjpp? How many different Courses are offered in the evenings at BCC? With regard to the “excess” of lawyers, how many specialities there are in Law? A person makes his /her own choice of the type of law they want to pursue. Everyone does not want to be a criminal lawyer, some may want to specialize in “contraact Law:, or International Law, all specialties.Do you propose to demand what people should study? Are you saying that If my son wanted to study engineering, and your son wanted to be a neurosurgeon he should be discouraged from studying and not given the same opportunity? Where is the concept of freedom of choice? And Caswell you deprecate the fact that some of the students in Barbados get five CXC, and some of these subjects are things like Clothing and Textiles, and Food and Nutrition, you are defeating the same argument you are making. Look at the po;ularity of the cooking competitions between the schools, the number of Chefs tat are being produced and the high interest of the students and their parents and supporters…go to Agrofest. Go to the end of year competitions at BCC and see the types of designs (clothing) and work in textiles. And further Caswell, the students from Guyana and Trinidad study the same curriculum for the CXC as barbadian students and Barbados does produce students who get 10 and 12 CXC’s. Barbados Scholarships and exhibitions are not confined to Physics, and such subjects, students have won Barbados scholarships in a number of non-academic subjects.
With regard to TED, one of the things he stresses (continuously) is the importance of the teacher, and equity in the system. I assume that what he means by equity is equality of opportunity, and Barbados has already cahieved this; every child has the same OPPORTUNITY to the same level of education. How he uses it is a different matter. If a student does not go to school he cannot learn. If he is not encouraged to study, he cannot learn. The Barbados education system can hold its own anywhere in the world. There are some bureaucratic challenges, but in terms of education it is far better than many of the countries TED is talking about.Remember his point about seperation of students from the age of 10? We have the 11 plus exam.but some students take that exam younger than 10 and some later than 11.As he pointed out the success of the system depends on strong Principals, who along with the teachers are innovative (Jeff Broomes) comes to mind.What he also said, and I agree with him fully is to have the message taught to the students, and reinforced that with education the sky is the limit.
.

@ Alvin
…what a roll…..!!

Fractured BLP
What you doing here? This is the place where the bright people have social intercourse. Don’t go getting a hard on; that means they discuss things of an intellectual nature. Yet, you bring in talk about posterior; put down that oxford dictionary. Come back where the dunces like me and you sling mud; this is certainly not our place. Don’t mek yuh self shame Fractured; Miller has heavy words and he wields a poison pen. Lef this place nuh. It is not all of you who went to kolij is bright.

Alvin Cummins

You got up in here smelling shitey now … Stupse. Man I still got money on you coming good tho … done lose hope …!

as always caswell knows everything about everything that is wrong. he is one not to be understood. speaking of textile and clothing that is a lucrative area and does provide plenty of resources to an eonomy in such areas as jobs and manufacturing. only a fool would thumb there noses to such a luctrative and productive field and suggest that it is of little or no importance when children excelled .Any one who has travelled would have come across schools in north america as an example for the demand in such a skilled area which shows an importance that is real and is magnified by the many talented people and the success that have made them beome multmillionaires drawing upon the resources and knowledge learnt in those schools and most important an area of skilled workmanships that provides manufacturing industries to a growing economy.

@David
He Never uses the word equality. He talks about equity in education. Equity has sa specific meaning in law. So I am assuming he means equality. I watched the video more than once.

Think any of this could happen in Barbados. The British Empire would have to collapse first. And you will have to drag the Old Boys of The British Empire (OBE) as they scream for their queen. LOL.