A Bold Change in Policy
Jeff Cumberbatch – New Chairman of the FTC
BU shares the Jeff Cumberbatch Barbados Advocate column – Senior Lecturer in law at the University of the West Indies since 1983, a Columnist with the Barbados Advocate
MUSINGS: A bold change in policy
10/25/2015
It is only natural that local policymakers should carry out their functions these days with a […]certain degree of circumspection, given the near palpable ennui of an electorate that appears to be at least doubtful that the way out of our current
socio-economic plight lies in a partisan political solution. Of course, in ordinary times, this disinterest might have inured to the benefit of those not constitutionally charged with the creation of policy, that is the Opposition, but the present sentiment of popular political disinterest seems to be rather deep-seated, to such an extent that it may be tentatively argued that one of the more anticipated outcomes of any future general election may be an ascertainment of that percentage of the electorate that chooses not to exercise its franchise, as much as that who decides to do so in favour of either of the major groupings.
That having been said, the proposal of substantially unpopular policy is still likely to evoke some discontent, even though the innate passivity of the Barbadian citizen would restrict evidence of its disapproval to the expression of dissenting views under the secure cloak of anonymity afforded by the ballot box, the radio talk shows, the popular blogs, letters to the editor or other similar fora provided for the ventilation of popular opinion.
In this regard, we might contrast this relatively useless form of civic dissent with its seemingly more effective incarnation in other parts of the world. For instance, it is reported in this morning’s [Saturday] issue of the Barbados Advocate that the South African government has been forced to rule out increases in university tuition fees for students that it had proposed for the next academic year after a week of partially violent protests by students, who claimed that the increases would have prevented the immediate continuation of their studies.
It will be recalled that a similar local policy was effected last year with only minimal shows of dissent, albeit peaceful, by those whom it might directly have disadvantaged. It is just not in our nature to be violently aggressive in opposition to governmental measures or, indeed, any policy that meets with our distaste.
Clearly, this makes for a more tranquil and more secure existence; one to which we have become acculturated and are thus not prepared to change in spite of its immediate ineffective-ness. It might be submitted that this constitutes an integral aspect of the idea of Barbados. We prefer to abide by the ancient Greek dictum that the mills of the gods grind slowly -one that we have managed to convert in local parlance to “God’s corn mill grinds slow but sure”. It bears reminder that this essay is not at all to suggest that we change our current philosophy.
At the same time however, it should be necessary to commend the courage of instituting a policy that is reasonably foreseeable to meet with substantial dissent, especially when that policy reverses an earlier one that had met with popular approval; when it permits a guarantee of privilege in an environment that is generally hostile to an assertion of rights; and that does so in favour of a sector of society that is generally considered to be undeserving of any licence and best subjected to the nature of discipline that according to the idle boast of some, has kept earlier generations firmly on the straight and narrow path of existence.
I refer of course to the recently announced policy of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation that there should be a controlled permission for the use of mobile or cell phones in schools by pupils, according to the Minister, “not in any wanton way, but to ensure the use of technology with a sensible set of policies…”.
Of course, given the formidable title of this Ministry, especially its last-mentioned portfolio, the notion that many of its policies under that head should meet with universal local approval is an unlikely phenomenon. After all, innovation scarcely seems compatible with the DNA of the ordinary Barbadian who is more likely to be comforted by the latter-day Panglossian belief that things are for the best as they currently are and that any innovation may only invoke unnecessary trouble. Again, this is expressed locally and perhaps irreverently in the oft-cited saw, “Better to trust the devil you know than the one that you don’t” or something similar.
Hence, any suggestion of a reform, especially of one of the legal status quo, is likely to be met with an incantation of the extreme nightmare scenario as a form of dissent in rebuttal. Decriminalise marijuana? -A certain way of ensuring the actualisation of the images of drug-crazed, wild-eyed hooligans running amok in our streets or pickled-brain ne’er-do-wells slouching in some psychiatric ward.
Decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults in private? -Why that is likely to turn everyone into a homosexual and ensure the inevitable demise of the species! Reform the laws on prostitution? ¨Do you want this nation to become now a haven for immorality? The more discerning reader might note that the degree of horror expressed at the proposal bears little or no relation to the official efforts expended in enforcing the current rule.
Hence officially to permit cell phones in schools is likely to conjure up phantasms of children indulging in all kinds of deviant conduct, purely for the purpose of recording them on film for subsequent exhibition and public consumption on social media; and none at all of the supervised reference to reliable sources for information of any kind; none of permitting readier accessibility to concerned parents in an era when the mysterious disappearance of especially young females and unprovoked violence against those from other schools appears to be de rigueur; and none of the possible stultifying effects of having a future generation regard technology not as a useful tool but rather as one to be feared or demonised because of its possible misuse.
In my view, what we need now is to craft an appropriate protocol to regulate the use of the cell phone in the school environment. Of course, as there is now with the school rules against certain hairstyles, and with those against breaches of common sense, short skirts, jewellery and low-waist trousers for males, there can be no guarantee of total compliance. The best that might be hoped for is to trust to the common sense of our youth not to use the phones at unauthorised times and in prohibited places; to recognise that misuse of the phones is an unavoidable consequence of their existence; and that these devices are not likely to disappear from our lives anytime soon.
I wish the policy well.
PS: My sincere condolences to two of my current students who, amazingly and tragically, became widows this week within a mere two days of each other. May both husbands, coincidentally also sometime students, and one a former schoolmate, rest in peace.
Barbados Underground 
I am one of those who are against having mobile phones in schools. There are two reasons for this. The first one is that the Minister of Education came out and said that they are not allowed in schools. Suddenly he reversed his decision, leading me to think that some people helped him to come to his conclusion that it would be useful to have them in school for technological purposes. You just don’t reverse such a policy at the drop of a hat if that were not so. My other reason is that Germany, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, have banned them from their schools. Do you think that they would not want to have their children know much more about technology when it is needed there so much? There, like in most countries, they have been used for trolling other students whom they do not like for one reason or the other. There have been cases where children have committed suicide because of how they were treated on these phones. Germany has now set up special police units for dealing with trolling – whether it is by students or adults, because they are of the opinion that whether you abuse someone on the internet or on the phone or face to face it is against the law. I don’t know of anyone saying that that is wrong!
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Commend what courage? There is nothing courageous about instituting a policy that would inflict harm when you are secured in the knowledge that Bajans are to docile to react.
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One school I know of in Barbados some years ago, the Ursulines, encouraged their pupils to drop off their cell phones at the office on mornings and pick them up after school, naturally, if the child had an emergency, like say to call a parent, the cellphone was made available. Of course there were a few hiccups with pupils walking off with the wrong phones, but the school being populated back then with just 200 students, it was manageable.
Most schools on the island have anywhere from 700-1200 students, so the above example would present some challenges, they could of course control it at the class level, where one individual class oies not contain much more than 30 students, that would involve each class teacher collecting the phones of each student on a daily basis and returning them at the end of each day, that way everyone is happy and the pupil has access to the phone for emergency calls or the pursuit of technology.
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@ Caswell Franklyn
It is this ole man’s concerted belief that, as in cattle, docility can be bred into sheeple
I want you to take a read of one such abstract “Animal docility or temperament is an important trait in livestock as it has influence not only on the human safety and animal welfare but importantly also on the productivity of livestock farming enterprises. Poor temperament in livestock has been associated with reduced performance, health, and carcass quality. Docility is thus increasingly becoming a focus of many studies aiming at its inclusion in animal breeding programs.”
I am not a General Practitioner like the renown blogger Georgie Porgie but as with my unofficial research into the Talking Asinus Domesticus euphemism for Donkey, my book titled “is the antichrist amongst us” (or can legion AC be the first wave?) I am of the belief that a sheeple, such as Barbadians, can be bred and inbred so that, over the course of time, a genetic characteristic can emerge such as will permit Bizzy Williams employees to push black people’s faces into display stalls, without any repercussions, Miss Ram to have one door stores and hotels, COW Williams to buy land and let it run to fallow while paying next kin to nothing in land taxes, get Mark Cummins change its land use purpose after X years and then develop it as housing stock for Rich White People.
Whu you think???
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The politicians should be ashamed of themselves Piece, but because of the tacit inbreeding you mentioned, they even lack the characteristic of shame, they are inbred with the characteristic of pride, even when they have engineered everything to fall down around them and the population.
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Piece
I totally agree with you. The average Bajan black man was bred from good slaves. Remember the rebellion that they now call the Bussa Rebellion, the good slaves that refuse to fight for their freedom at Mount Wilton Plantation in St. Thomas were rewarded with cash (blood money) with which they bought lands at Rock Hall, St. Thomas. And the Arthur administration set up a monument to the good slaves based on the questionable research of some nutty professor.
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@ Mr Cumberbatch
I guess it had to happen.
After posting such gems of articles, for so long, for so many, the moment of weakness would come and we would be given this abdication from wisdom
How is this “change in policy regarding cellular cell phones” any different to Mia Mottley giving the school’s a day off to watch Edwin perform at the gymnasium?.
Observe how even here in theory how the madness begins.
Children are to be allowed use of their phones at school but like at St Ursulas, the phones are “collected” at 9 and returned at 3 or when school ends.
5 years from now along comes some ingrunt parent, probably from an enhanced forward thinking lot, an improvement on you who, after reinterpreting your “protocol to regulate the use of cell phones in school environments” argues as logically as you do here, that, given that break and lunch time are similar “quality time for parental exchanges”, the child should be afforded the use of the phone during that period. Then we get don to additional periods during the day until, given thetime to collect said 1200 phones, we decide we could as well ” lef dem wid dem ”
Of course, we have yet to hear what Caswell, leader of Unity, the union to which all the school’ s teachers will soon be going, will have to say about the expansion of the teacher responsibilities to include “daily inventorying of phones” but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to imagine how ridiculous it can get.
Mia Mottley carried one head teacher? To court a few years back for corporal punishment as I guess we can see what effect that has had on teacher interventions today. As an aside it does appear like if Mottley is at the centre of a number of controversies isn’t she?
No child needs a cell phone and that rather emotive juxtaposition of cell phone availability as a deterrence to disappearance of female students and inter school/student hooliganism is quite weak and somewhat below your normal premiere reasoning.
I do hope that the idiocy which is rampant at the FTC is not rubbing off on you?
The next thing that you may be arguing for is concealed firearms on students from schools who are victims of unprovoked violence!!
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The cell phone reprieve is reminiscent of the time we allowed the minibus culture to take root. It is obvious the cell phone is a distraction, even got adults. Now we have given license for use by children to be regulated via an unenforceable code by the ministry.
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It would be a learning experience and a hoot just to watch how such a scenario plays out, particularly the attempt at control.
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Well Well
I have two kids in High School here in America and the both of them have cell-phone, but as soon as the both them gets on school property they cell-phones goes dead.
So there is technology out there that disable the signals to the cell-phones when the students gets in certain school zions, so there isn’t any real need to take away the students cell-phones because for one: it is too time consuming and secondly, it is a violation of they right to carry a device such as a phone.
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Dompey is right children should be able to use there cell phones at school not only is it their right but it will be essential that they know every way they can be operated for their lifetime job at the call center
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Phone jammer will interrupt the signal but will it stop videos / pictures from being recorded / captured? We like to follow referenced what occurs in N America and other countries. We must make decisions to raise our children how we want. Just look at how American children other are have been shooting each other like dogs.
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What a load of drivel. A large proportion of children have cell phones in their possession while at school. The use of laptops and tablets are allowed and encouraged in schools. So what is this new “policy” going to achieve other than acknowledge that the present ban is a farce?
A more significant policy discussion would relate to the funding of infrastructure for the expansion of telecommunication technology in schools, the use of such technology in the delivery of instruction and the evolution of the curriculum to reflect the ubiquity of information technology in all areas of contemporary life.
If there is no meaningful purpose and the capacity to pursue that purpose, all that will happen is that the cell phones once officially allowed will become another nuisance to be managed in the school setting.
Does it not seem absurd that after this country spent $500 million on EDUTECH that the educational experience in terms of curriculum, instruction and school organization of present day children and our great grandparents are still so similar?
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Piece
Children are not allowed to use cell-phones on school property in most schools here in my state; it is against school policy.
In case of emergency the school calls my wife or myself, and if my wife or I wish to contact our kids, the then school summons them both over the school Address-System to come to the office for the phone call, as the school does for most students.
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Well said by Ping Pong.
The change in policy is a simple admission that the previous policy was a roll of shiite….
Nothing to do with what is ‘good or bad’, but a simple matter of what is PRACTICAL….
Anyway, NONE of this is the REAL issue.
As Ping Pong points out, the PROBLEM is that we don’t even UNDERSTAND what true ‘education’ is all about.
For about 40 years we got away with teaching children a lotta shiite called ‘academics’ in place of education and ended up with a country full of brass bowls, ….many with university degrees handed out by Jeff and Sir Cave…… but yet cannot find ANY decent political leaders; very few business leaders; NO dispensers of Law and justice; and we are in the process of selling off ALL of our National silverware – just like a brass bowl parro….
What technology (like the cell phone) has done is to EXPOSE the sham of our so-called ‘education’ such that all of the shiite that our ‘bright scholars’ crammed for decades is now available to Dompey and AC on a simple click of a key…
….so are we going to force children to leave their cellphones at home, so that teachers can spend YEARS making them cram information that they can otherwise get from Google just so…?
Does THAT not tell us something…. Shiite Man!!!
Education is ….AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN… about building CHARACTER, DISCIPLINE, MORALS, ETHICS,….. and (…before modern information technology,) there was ALSO a need to ‘learn a lotta academic shiite’ so that the society could advance…..
BUT now that technology provides such ‘academic’ solutions, our ‘eddykashun’ system has been exposed and left WANTING …because we have dropped ALL of the most valuable components that were related to such aspects as Character and discipline…..
THAT ….is the real problem.
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It all boils down to discipline, despite being banned in private schools, my last daughter always carried a cellphone from NY to Barbados, it was kept turned off at the bottom of her bag and only used for extreme emergencies, she knew the consequences as there were spot searches at the schools.
We need to remember, in the late 90’s the invention of the cellphone was largely ignored until after 9/11 and because of my experience that day, I too thought it a necessity because I was unable to contact my children on that day, that is pretty recent.
I did not even know it has become a civil right.
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Bushie
You read these comments and seem to have missed something more devastating than anything you can imagine about cellphones. Dompey has children: I hope they were adopted. Just imagine his genes being able to escape and procreate. A man this silly should have been neutered for the good of the species.
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Why precisely are we so scared of mobile phones and should think only of the evil that may be done with them? The mobile phone is a modern means of communication and a medium of access to the global source of information. Of course it may be a distraction as may equally be the computer on the desk of the modern worker, but none would even attempt to argue that these should be likewise removed.Yet they are used daily for playing games, shopping and viewing Internet porn.
Might it not be that the difference is that we are unwilling to concede any privileges to pupils precisely for the same reason that we would want to apply corporal punishment to them and not to adults? Because we are bigger and stronger than they?
More over, if the phone is such a distraction in schools, how is that that they are not banned at the UWI where they are far more liable to be a distraction, given the mean age of the students there? Yes, while there they may be used for shopping, texting, sexting and God knows what else, they are also used in my Faculty to access e-learning, to research cases and to take notes.
I must declare that am not surprised at some of the antediluvian views expressed above by members of the BU family, especially those of a certain age, but David I am frankly aghast that you might perceive a connection between this policy and the pernicious ZR culture.
Incidentally, there is, for all practical purposes, little difference between the mobile phone, the tablet and the computer. Are we to forbid the use of the last two as well in our schools> Little wonder that our children are great rote learners but falter at the creative thought processes in comparison with those from other countries. But then, our notion of literacy is the ability to write and read one’s name. Alas.
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People laugh at my cell phone it cant take a picture ,no emails , no music etc all it can do is be used to talk.
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Bushie, you comment is shrouded in your exasperation, but am I wrong to detect a scintilla of agreement with my view?
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And you too, PingPong!
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Mr Cumberbatch
I am exasperated that we (Bajans) love to “major in the minors”. The cell phones are already IN THE SCHOOLS. Why is there a need for all this navel gazing to acknowledge such? What gets me is the psuedo reasoning that MERELY allowing cell phones in schools will somehow translate into some pedagogical (or otherwise) revolution in schools. We are in a time of crisis and the leaders are fiddling.
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@ Jeff
Your view is a reasonable one. However it stops short of addressing the FUNDAMENTAL ROOT problem of “what REALLY should education be about?”
Your position seems to be that it does NOT make sense to ban cell phones…..a position that is VERY difficult to defeat. (wuh even the useless Ministry of Eddykashun seems to be resigned to that position).
But here is the real question….
What is the POINT of our current system in force-feeding academic ‘facts’ into students, which they must regurgitate during an ‘Examination’ in order to demonstrate ‘success’….when at ANYTIME in their lives they (and anyone else who ‘passed’ or ‘failed’) can whip out a cellphone and ‘google’ the information…?
…so since THAT process is OBVIOUSLY a lotta shiite……
What SHOULD true ‘education’ look like….?
For a man of your obvious intellect and talent, this is the direction Bushie would like to see you venture…. 🙂
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Ok, Ping Pong. We are at one. I do not buy the pedagogical s argument too much either but we have to concede that the distraction argument is much overblown unless there is going to be blanket permission to use the phones at all times…the usual nightmare scenario
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In this and another article I put my emphasis on child.
I think that in the same way we seem to say, at least in this country, though not in Trinidad, or Guyana, 13 is not an appropriate age for child rearing, and set the legal standard at 18, I am inclined to thing that like alcohol consumption and the permissible age to drink booze, there should be limits
Some of our children are very responsible for their age yet others lack that responsibility and the cell phones are easily concealable distractions.
Having said that 9/11 and our own quake brings our antediluvian carcasses into the 21st century and for the second time in 7 days de ole man vacillating again on the wisdom of appropriate policy, Jeff, integrated with the technology Ping Pong (and Amazingly Domps)
However Bush Tea still trumps with my sticking record song, our 1923 Moyne Commission curriculum or new wine into old vessels conundrum
I will not put a Bushwacker on a ten year old’s shoulder and encourage that frail body to fire the weapon (notwithstanding those who will say their 10 year old may be 160 lbs and 5ft 5ins) there has to be a limit or pretty soon we are marrying 10 year olds to pederasts.
Wunna done know dat when the standard of argument moves to a point where yesterday’s wrong, becomes today’s maybe and tomorrow’s possibly right, Houston we do have a problem!!!
De grandson jes call me and tell me dat Viber and Skype and Magic jack pun me tablet and dat he crack it and what’s app pun it too, so de dinosaur now get to understand whu I still doan understand but yet I understand, Wunna unnerstan?
We did live in much simpler times whey, like Donna, one body did was had a camera or a TV in a whole village, now de GPS in me phone cud tell Wunna whey AC and legion got de ole man hold up, if she decide tuh kidnap me, whuloss Bush Tea dere is a fate wusser dan death
So Jeff, whu you suggesting?
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@Jeff
The connection is as Bush Tea and Ping Pong alluded. We swim with what is popular and renege on our duty as caretakers of the next generation. It is popular therefore let us band-aid the system to accommodate.The ubiquitous cellphone is attached to a sub culture that is attached to the Zrs and other social ills. There you go, it is not so much about the cell phone, it is about how do we integrate emerging technology to fuel a wholesome society. We allow cellphones then what?
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@Bushie That’s a whole different essay. My preliminary views of the essentials a modern education include an ability to think critically, a capacity to process information in both logical and otherwise creative formats, and a proclivity generally to appreciate contrasting opinions. Once these are mastered, then ,coupled with ready access to factual information, I believe that we would have created a capable corps of individuals, be they doctors, lawyers, scientists, technicians, bloggers, accountants, unionists,entrepreneurs, journalists…
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Fair enough Jeff….. a correct and diplomatic answer befitting an FTC Chairman.
Bushie looks forward to the essay, because then, you will be forced to explain to what extent out CURRENT 1/2 BILLION dollar a year education system “include an ability to think critically, a capacity to process information in both logical and otherwise creative formats, and a proclivity generally to appreciate contrasting opinions.”
LOL
Boss…
Bushie hope that you are aware of how DIFFICULT it is to be intelligent, honest ….AND to keep ‘big up FTC picks’ under the kinda idiots currently running things bout here 🙂
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And there in lies the reality, getting views and opinions from everyone, helps with the assimilation; just asked a close young relative about acessing information. She says when they go to interviews these days they are asked how they solve problems and the answers always are, they google it, but because there is so much inaccurate information out there, some reseearch is necessary to make sure the information is factual.
So regardless of the many degrees acquiŕed and the hundred of thousands spent on education, google leads as the teacher and profesor for accessing information.
Don’t care our views about it, cell phones are now a reality because of the need to have easy access to technology. That’s from university right on down to the primary level.
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@Jeff, your argumentation and thrust re the cell phone issue thrills melodiously like a cool ring-tone. Absolutely right you are.
Let’s embrace your obvious sensible construct that the technology is there to be used to improve the classroom experience. Your UWI examples are founded in sensible change management that understands how to forge opportunities rather than problems from the issues before us.
I expect that any competent principal and his dedicated staff can manage this phone issue rather simply.
Also re “… not surprised at some of the antediluvian views expressed above by members of the BU family, … but David I am frankly aghast that you might perceive a connection between this policy and the pernicious ZR culture.”
I am inclined to a hearty LOLLLL. I joust with David that oft times he goes ‘off the cuff’ or makes some of the most tenuous and illogical connections but he laments that I am ‘outdated’ or ‘trivializing the debate’.
Thus I am aghast myself (smile) that you find his remarks today to be so awesomely ill-conceived. Cause I too was looking wistfully in cyber space to see if I could miraculously find the server link between cell phones in schools and mass shootings in US or practical class room use of phones and the moral indifference of our local ZR culture. Absolutely hilarious!
Incidentally for those old geezers like myself. A Spanish, French or for that matter a Chinese Dict can be a foreboding heavy addition to a kid’s bag or even his/her desk or locker.
How cool is it that such modern technology is available to forgo the paper based technology and provide the student the wide vista of not only the translation but an audio example right there in the classroom.
Pieces imagine what your great-grands would do as they study Latin wid their powerful cell phone to break out what you did with a dictionary and the many tomes….just imagine yourself using one…well after you get over Bumpy Moore or whomever taught you suffering his own heart palpitations that the ‘dead language’ was so infused with new life and passion from this little gadget.
Yet here we are in 2015 talking so much about change but getting another set of unnecessary heart palpitations over such an innocuous pronouncement.
Absolutely frigging hilarious!
@Ping Pong, indeed well also said above.
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@Dee Word
Not surprised your US acculturation would numb you to what is a reality in Barbados today. The school system in Barbados is an ecosystem responsible for creating productive beings in the future. BU is not dissing cellphone or the emerging technology, what we are saying is that it is not enough to say it is the prevailing technology therefore we must allow it, it is like saying all the kids in the neighbour are allowed to fish on the rocks therefore the BU household should go along if there are issues of maintaining discipline. We have top address the systemic issue first! The reference to the Zr culture is that 25 years ago we diagnosed a problem and we have the same issue today; BIGGER.
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Owen Arthur, Walter Blackman, Jeff Cumberbatch
Dat is my team so far for the Third Party which will bring a new policy befitting The Bold Change required for our nation
Owen has the popularity still to coalesce the necessary support, Walter and Jeff the stolidity and the “I will be no man’s fool” and to this I openly display my name.
Yes sir Mr Jeff Cumberbatch de Party going need your legal brains to extract we from dem Machiavellian plots them engaged and are engaging in and because a man mek you Chairman of the FTC you are no one’s pawn
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@Pieces, cell phone usage and “there has to be a limit or pretty soon we are marrying 10 year olds to pederasts”.
Are you serious in making such connections. I laughed at David’s links but yours are frightening!
Surely a man that uses such words like ‘pederasts’ must also know the work HYPERBOLE!!
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Ohhh just in case Wunna say dat I gone left side wide this jes to let wunna know that the absolute acuteness of sound discernment and resoluteness of thought and action which each article presented afforded brought this Epiphany.
Look to each article and even this cell phone and what you see is the type of man we want verily need for national service.
Just saying…
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This is is a very interesting discussion.
Desktop computers / CPUs will soon be replaced by Tablets and Cell phones.
Then there is the “cloud”.
Seems a lot of “EduTech” hardware will be headed to the recycling depot.
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Thanks, pudryr!
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David wrote, ” 25 years ago we diagnosed a problem and we have the same issue today;”
Who is to blame ? School children ? No. It is greedy adults who are only interested in “mekkin money”
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The point that I was making and which you clearly missed De Ingrunt Word lies in my begrudging agreement with the why but with my pragmatic realization of the fact of the when.
Simply put take your 25 years ago begin point per the ZR culture deviation I put this to you that like some sine curve of antipodal value the insertion of cell phones in our system now as Mr Cumberbatch suggests, though desirable, will not work because there is no matrix th support it.
Much like Pelican Village Needham Point Shops critical real estate positioned right in the pathway of tourists filled with expensive versions of US jewelry, THE AVAILABLE CONTENT AND ANTIQUATED CURRICULUM IS JES A WASTE FOOP!
Ergo my reference to new wine in old vessels
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Some random thoughts….
As things now stand, the only things that a child can mostly do with a cell phone (in a Bajan school) is to distract himself or engage in mischief. There is no wide spread internet access (AT SCHOOL), teachers generally don’t use websites or ICT (AT SCHOOL) , e-books have not been approved or are not available (FROM SCHOOL), software for music, art, technical drawing etc is not available (AT SCHOOL), presentation technology (projectors, smart boards, etc) are very limited (AT SCHOOL). Also many devices that are in use are NOT well suited for educational use.
Learner Management Systems like Moodle or Blackboard are not used in Bajan schools (is it in use at UWI (?).
Of course should ICT become more widespread the colleagues of Mr Cumberbatch will be wading in on the intellectual property issues asking schools to pay for software and other resource use!
While many children have cellphones, tablets etc there are many that cannot afford such and/or monthly charges.
I wonder what the impact on schools’ electricity bills would be as hundreds of children attempt to recharge their devices during the day?
There is a great difference in focus and skills between the 20 thousand or so adolescents in schools and the couple of thousand young (and not so young) adults at university.
I do WANT cell phones, tablets, laptops etc in schools but I want much much more that educationally useful activities be done with them. That requires funding, teacher training, material and other human resources, management protocols and curriculum reform.
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Sorry Blogmaster, it was your point DIW responded…
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As it is and no one should be surprised, Jones put out a directive without first doing any research or finding the measures to control the use of cells in a very challenging environment, schools filled with children who have large amounts of excess energy.
Unlike the industrialized countries where people, children included, are quick on the uptake to accept and assimilate to move a country forward, in the islands, more caution is displayed and people have to be convinced.
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the kids wouldn’t need cell phones if they were allowed to bring playboy to school
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Ping Pong, you are now being irresponsibly negative. You are correct re the non-use of e-learning currently in our schools but it is unnecessarily petty in the grand scheme of things to worry about trifling matters such as electricity costs. And I am not so sure, from observation, that I agree with your analysis of the differing levels of focus of the young pupil and the UWI student.
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David, you know the one basic thing that my “US acculturation” has really told me about my lovely Barbados: that we often think too much of ourselves. I don’t mean that in a bad way because frankly I was infused with the same dynamic and it gave me the sense that I could compete with anyone because I had the grounding of a solid education.
This phone issue is nonsensical. First of all its already been exhaustively ‘litigated’ by parents in other places so we should skip this wasteful debate and look at the best practices as there is no reason to reinvent the wheel.
Secondly let’s remember that Barbados is a small community and as much as you may perceive that some issues are profound they really are NOT. They are as important as the noise made around them. This is such.
CAHILL,for example, is NOT. That’s definitely important and must be litigated comprehensively.
I reiterate Jeff’s remarks : “…they are also used in my Faculty to access e-learning, to research cases and to take notes”.
And repeat that because we are small we must embrace wisely technology to elevate us above that piddling size. Of course there are downsides but we have to find and EMPLOY the upsides of how the phones can make our kids better.
Why are we focusing on ‘pederast’ or ‘porn’ or other afflictions of moral decay. Why? Are they not already there without the phones?
Cell phones are as ubiquitous and pervasive as underwear. More people likely always leave home with one an they are wont to leave the other at home..and I’ll leave you to decide which stays at home more!
Why are we arguing about whether phones should be in schools or not. Leave that to the principals to manage. We need to be focusing on getting our kids to use the technology to be the best they can be.
The BU intelligentsia are way off-kilter…as PingPong said: “The cell phones are already IN THE SCHOOLS…We are in a time of crisis and the leaders are fiddling”.
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Oh Lawsie, whuloss…
Who dis Ping Pong is?
See why wunna young peeple is wanted? You ent want ole peeple taughts like mine, is men like you who, aftah giving you real name, like Mr. Cumberbatch, Caswell Franklyn, David King and Kammie Holder, need to come heah and “have a conversation wid de nation”
Dem is not random thought my man, dem is pertinent posits…
De ole man ent know dem tings unless ing de grandson type dem heah fuh me, you know how long I was trying to log onto my neighbours wifi and cussing Lime Helpdesk aftah dem gi me dis iPad?
Heah you saying dat dem ent got no wifi in de school and even when dem got wifi dem ent got no collaborative software fuh de students to learn from!!
So we back to texting and sexting
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Piece
I am quite surprised and I am quite certain many others here are wondering as to why Mr. Caswell Franlyn wasn’t added to your list for the thirty party bid. lol
Your list my friend offers a poignant insight into the manner in which you view the man Caswell Franklyn, who portrays himself as the counter -example of ruling party political agenda.
Nevertheless, it is clear that you have little or no confidence in this man’s ability to offer what he has for as knowledge, wisdom and the ability to govern the island of Barbados.
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Is it not about time you GREW UP De Ingrunt Word?
Shiite man…. yuh mean EVERY blog…? 🙂
Not that Bushie have anything against ‘ambushing a BU member’… but surely you should ensure that you have LIVE ammo when doing so… else a man may turn round and put two shots in you donkey yuh…
Don’t you get it?
The point about introducing Cell phones in schools in Barbados NOW is neither here or there… Read Ping Pong again..
The only merit in Jeff’s argument is that there in NO benefit in seeking to enforce a MEANINGLESS ban….
Jeff makes no claim that cell phones will solve any meaningful problems with our education process… so what are you jumping and waving at…?
The (valid) point that David and Piece were making is that in the CURRENT BAJAN context, just conceding to technology whims in itself may defeat the concept of DISCIPLINE…. while not adding to the education experience AS CURRENTLY set out.
OBVIOUSLY if the MoE had laid out a full plan of incorporating the technology into the learning process ..while reducing the cost of paper books, ..expanding the curricular and enhancing the experience VIA the cellphones, then David and Piece would have taken a different tack…
Ping and Bushie are seeking to look BEYOND the current thinking about education – which is the ONLY reason we agree that the traditional view of cell phones is flawed…. thus the question to Jeff about WHAT NEXT…..
You got blanks boss…
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“Hants
Of course not the children, the same people responsible for the undisciplined and wayward school environment we will be laying off cellphones with a sub culture securely attached. Again BU will not hold the US as any school model to follow.
On 25 October 2015 at 16:13, Barbados Underground wrote:
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And to add to the pile what do we hear on today’s midday news? Sir Hilary has released another slogan, 50% enrollment by year 20** in science subjects read implement the STEM approach to education. If we assess the state of secondary school performance what is Sir Cave’s realistic expectation of this goal? The point here – for Dee Word’s benefit – we have to reorder our priorities if we want to make progress. We have become distracted, we lack the leadership to make education relevant. Education is not about achieving paper trophies.
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@ Lawson
People laugh at my cell phone it cant take a picture ,no emails , no music etc all it can do is be used to talk.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss ..you just CHEAP..
But when yuh hoard that lotta money in the bank, ant bets that one of Dompey’s sons will show his ‘attributes’ to one of your daughters …and get to spend that money fuh yuh…. 🙂
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I am not being irresponsibly negative. Schools are now rationing chalk, markers and paper. Complaints are being made about fans and lights being left on in classrooms. Schools are being asked to operate on diminishing budgets. Parents are asked to donate money for speech day prizes. There are not enough desks and chairs in some schools. However…
My point is not that cell phones etc should not be in schools but that productive forward thinking use of modern technology requires consideration of many things. Some years ago Ontario revisited (note I did not say abandon) continuous assessment because the cost of storage of the students work became prohibitively expensive. Little trifling things can bedevil the grandest of ideas.
I think you understand my main thesis however…cell phones are no big deal. It’s getting our educational system into the 21st century that should be the goal and having cellphones are really inconsequential to that issue especially given the rapid rate of change of technology (who knows what devices Seoul or Silicon Valley will unveil in the future).
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But David@12:52, yet the US scholars are the ones who lead the world in most areas of research, who win the Nobel Prizes and put people on other planets. I too have heard the argument that their elementary school system compares unfavorably with ours, but I do not know on what basis that comparison is made.
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IMMEDIACY
For the Schools without Solar Power Ping Pong there may be an electricity consumption issue regarding dem “chilrun are is reading well” recharging dem phones pun a day but, given the ubiquitous tiefing dat does go on, I more concerned about the extra calls de police gine get to investigate de tiefing of de phones in schools Dan de additional electric charges which may not be immediately offset by photovoltaic installations
And as I have gone to pains to explain DIW, children with phones which connect to nothing are only a further distraction in a society and school system which neither knows, or if it does know, practices nothing akin to “best practices” and WILL NOT ?? do so notwithstanding Bumpy’s or anyone else’s interdictions, Rest his Soul
What is the immediate solution? And the answer that seems to assault our ears is none. We accept that the phones are there as playboy used to be there as Bebop used to be there before and banned editions of Lady Chatterley’s lover used to be there, but what are the solutions?
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“Jeff
Does the US student not have opportunity given the proliferation of ”research universities”?
On 25 October 2015 at 17:07, Barbados Underground wrote:
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To add to Ping Pong’s point about the need for strategic approach, how many school have to close because they have no water tanks?
On 25 October 2015 at 17:07, Barbados Underground wrote:
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Foe Seoul and Silicon, the future is in 6 months, by the time you acquire the Android 3, they have put the 4, 5, 6 on the market, how does one keep up.
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@ Jeff
“…yet the US scholars are the ones who lead the world in most areas of research, who win the Nobel Prizes and put people on other planets.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Skippa … you SURE you want to go down THAT road…?
The US is all about seeking to control OTHER people’s resources. “leading in research”, ‘winning Nobel Prizes’ and ‘putting people on other planets’ are just OBVIOUS means of manipulating gullible brass bowls into handing over their family silver…
Wuh if Bajans controlled the Nobel prizes ..we would lead the world there too…
The damned USA cannot even resolve the BASIC issue of how its own citizens can live together in peace …. or how vast numbers can access BASIC health care ….
What lead what world in what research what?!?!?
…in destructive armaments?
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It’s my experience and this may vary elementary to elementary school in the US, but they do focus, not only on Math and English, particularly Essay writing, lots and lots of Composition and other well rounded subjects, lots of field trips, of course they havemorechoices.
But again in my experience, after elementary school, unless that student is a candidate for a gifted high school, I see their education from high school to sixth form being a better more challenging course, of course after Cape exams and this is a matter of choice, advanced education in a university with multiple choices for making informed decisions about one’s final choice in profession, particularly in technology, web development, computer programming etc, is a better fit.
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Yes, David, but the proliferation of research universities must start somewhere.
The gormless absence of water tanks at schools is owed principally to our silly mantra for doing nothing to help ourselves that” the Lord will provide”
No Bush Tea, my point is far simpler. Like in revolutionary cancer treatments and advanced surgical procedures that those in our region are prepared to pay through their noses for
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Piece don’t get me started,
some five or six years ago, Japan offered Barbados money to install photo voltaic systems in at least four schools. What happened….???
The Minister of Education states that approval for construction of a school was done in 2011. Four years later not even a batter board put in the ground. What happened…? {by the way the new Principal of UWI Prof Barriteau recently stated that the school population is about 2000 less today than it was 10 years ago and continues to drop. This is equivalent to 2 secondary schools. Are we sure that there is a need for a new secondary school?!!)
The same minister spoke for six hours in the House of Assembly on the national human resource strategy. what happened….?
2000 plus young people “missing” from institutional education. What happened..?
and here we are arguing about cell phones. Ban or no ban, the phones are in the schools and only thing being done with them is texting gossip, picture taking, playing music, videos and games and unless the formal education system gets its act together that will be mostly what will continue to happen.
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@ Domps
I have the utmost respect for Mr Caswell Franklyn. He also has the balls that national service on this island that I love, DEMANDS.
To a new visitor I would have allowed their ignorance to pass but for you, you have been directed to point your fire rage to this stalwart of a man.
Caswell said that he would not run here on BU on many occasions.
He even was so entreated by the Beauteous Sexy Sultry Suzanne to do so with her promising to return to aid in his campaign.
He said no, to wit the ole man went down to the registry the following week to change my name to Caswell Franklyn so that she could come back to run my campaign but alas, there were problems when I was unable to explain all to the madam!
You need to recognize when a man’s integrity has been tested among people who are the most fervent of nationalists and lovers of Bim, and has passed that test.
He said no and i among the many who pray that others will come forward.
I do hope that you are not offering yourself for national service? Sorry that statement did not come out right.
What I meant to say is there is no need for you to offer yourself for national service for, given that we Already have Fool, sorry Froon we have no need for another Froon? And to besides you are needed in amurica where strong intelligent men like you can certainly show them a thing or two. Do be careful, they are a cantankerous lot given to arson, like your Buddy Arson Trust me to bun down anything I own that is insured.
I had missed you for a short while but, unlike a few other peeple here did not check with the Blogmaster to make sure that you were still blogging from amurica and had not traveller home, everything is good I will give your regards to Rachel Deane and Albert Sealy, that wicked man at The Nation (have my peeple at CID investigating him per 1973, St Leonard’s and unfair licks etc) Talk to you later
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Ping Pang
We can’t really compare United States pedagogic system with the pedagogic systems in the Caribbean because the United States academic system is Fragmented, whereas the academic systems in the Caribbean operates on an unilateral basis.
In others words: there are school systems in America which performes above and below the academic systems in the Caribbean because many of school systems in the United States are financed by the school district.
And what this simply means is the fact that the school district with the most money produces the best and brightest students, and those that aren’t properly financed produces the mediocre students.
Additionally, there is no such thing as a Minister of Education that oversights the entire academic system, likened to Barbados and in many part of the Caribbean.
We have here what is called a School Superintendent, who oversights the academic system in a given didtrict, and there are hundreds of school districts within a given state far less more the entire United States.
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Pieces,
I know you love to talk about me but it was Simple Simon that had the camera problem. I always had cameras sent down as gifts from my “English mother” to take photos of me for her.
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I have a twelve year old son at school. The child without a cell phone at school is the exception. He was just that for the whole first year unless I needed to be out when he came home. Then the Principal told them they could bring them but keep them in their bags turned off until after school. I haven’t heard of any problems. This is a non issue.
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This is a non issue because the phones are already there. Those who are inclined to misuse them will do it as they now do.
Jeff, having a writer’s block or what?
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Not really, Ma’am. My larger point was about the introduction of unpopular policy and the local reaction. The mobile phone in schools was merely an example of this; as was the introduction of payment of tuition fees for UWI students, but the cell phone issue is fresher and easier to strike at I suppose!
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The gist of the article was partially got at by Caswell in his earlier submission. No one will ever do anything except talk, although, in my view, the political courage is shown by chancing the electoral risks of implementing unpopular policy
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@ Jeff
“…my point is far simpler. Like in revolutionary cancer treatments and advanced surgical procedures that those in our region are prepared to pay through their noses for”
+++++++++++++++++++++++
You are beginning to make Bushie feel smart yuh….. again we agree.
It is all about getting access to OTHER people’s assets….NOT human advancement.
The cancer industry is a classic case in point.
The USA leads in extensive ‘research’ in this area, and they come up with a new ‘cure’ ever other week. These ‘cures’ are designed for the Bill Gates of our world – costing fortunes to extend existence (can’t call it ‘life’) for a few months.
People like our notorious David Thompson would no doubt have been scammed out of almost all of that CLICO $3.3M before his INEVITABLE (as explained here by GP) death.
Now get THIS….
How much ‘research’ do they do into PREVENTING cancer in the first place?
…no money in it!!!
How much do they CONTRIBUTE to the high prevalence of cancer through their scams with GMO and other products, …and their promotion of high fructose corn syrup?
…and by EXPORTING shiite that is not allowed at home?
While MILLIONS of their OWN citizens die from basic medical neglect, they are marketing scams to the world’s wealthy (crooks) as a means of accessing their survivor’s rightful inheritance.
…sorry Jeff ….another of Bushie’s pet peeves… 🙂
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bush shit why don.t you stop shoving your crap down people throat everybody on BU has a right to their opinion not everyone encourages your crapola like David it is your antiquated know it all shit talk that should be ban.
one blogger gives a different perspective and right away you ready to blow a gasket,l just wish you would,
Some friggin shameless dictator you are, jas
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@ Jeff
My larger point was about the introduction of unpopular policy and the local reaction
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was nothing unpopular about the cell phone policy change.
The ONLY children who did not have cellphones in our schools are those with parents like Lawson and Money B …who had chauffeurs waiting in the car park with the cellphones for the children….or poor ones who could not afford one …and who did not want to snatch one..
ALL of the Principals had already ignored the ministry and allowed the phones …and almost every parents had already given a phone to their child.
Jones was just following …..
The case of the UWI fees is just a SIMPLE case of being BREK.
Stinkliar just BREK….
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@ AC
you cannot chase Bushie into ANY desert…..
…cause a bushman would NEVVA marry A C***….
All you will ever get from bushie is a good donkey whacking…. 🙂
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Well let de ole man up de volume den with this item dat I had was did post elsewhere at 8.39 a.m. Pun a next post and see how we get to “chancing de electoral risk to change policy” Mr Cumberbatch
I said then and repeat now
“While I would not go as far as to say that Chris ‘ tummy tuck was a Maloney Bjerkham plan I would however want to speak of the Alternative Prime Minister Plan and why this bodes well for a Third Party like never before.
Both the DLP and the BLP have their factions with court jesters who “would be King”
Mia has to contend with oblong Head Kerrie, Payne, Dale Smiley Teets and two others, one who would be a good PM.
Fumble has to deal with Stinkliar, pornville and Lil Caesar.
That puts 10 seats at risk , 10 seats where the sensibilities of the average Bajan who outward beliefs per “lifestyle choices” and the prevalent perception that Fumble is not a man of the people or for the people, gives room for a third party in the “valley of discontent”.
No de ole man ent no political scientist like Wickham nor Joseph but here is de ole man thoughts.
OSA and Walter Blackman and eight others carefully chosen horses for courses NOT AS INDEPENDENTS BUTAS A PARTY
De Ole Man cud pick de names fuh wunna if wunna cud get me a pick at de nation or de advocate.
In the resulting election results there would have to be a coalition to govern and in a coalition anything will play.
Mottley ent going lose St. Michael North East I will give wunna a hint St. John Barrow stronghold up fuh grabs and a suitable 3rd party candidate will win there
THREE YEARS AND A SKILLFUL CAMPAIGN AND A FEW GOOG MEN OF WHOM JEFF CUMBERBATCH SHOULD BE ONE AND THE LANDSCAPE OF POLITICS IN BARBADOS WOULD CHANGE FOREVER
LEH WE DUN WID DE PHONES AND SPEAK TO MEN WHO GOT DE BALLS TO CHANGE DIS SHYTE
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Beware the slippery slope:
http://nobullying.com/students-bullying-teachers-a-new-epidemic/
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Owen Arthur, Walter BlAckman and Jeff Cumberbatch dem is de three names dat I propose for “A Bold Change in Policy”
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Piece
” Caswell said he would not run here on BU on many occasions”
I have to question the motive of a man who claims he loves his country and chooses not to run for political office, knowing fully well that he has the ability and the can do spirit to change the current order of things by his own efforts, but chooses to remain silent in the face of this ever present reality, put to shame the likes of Lech Walesa from Poland.
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Piece
It will require much more than to put forth these three names in an effort to erect an effective third party.
What we must first determining is whether or not these three men have what it takes to win a general election, or the ability to inspire and motivate others to win a general election which would bring about the anticipatory change, in the current state of affairs in Barbados.
Piece, I trust your judgment that these three men are qualified on both the moral and intellectual level, and are therefore fit for high office, but are you certain that they have the testicular fortitude, the know it how, and the can do spirit to deal with issues of national crisis.
And does the public record reflects the kind of individuals we are electing to govern the affairs of our country?
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@ Domps,
De ole man jes get back heah from service and notice dat only you remain.
And since I still feeling churchey I did tempted to tell you “go, and be stupid no more,” but dat would be akin to blasphemy and I doan want Zoe nor dat nex fellow tuh bring down heaven pun me so I gine lef um alone Domps
But Domps you notice sumting??
When we did talking bout inanimate cell-phones and things inanimus nuff people did heah, percolating and espousing bout the wisdom of and demerits of policy and a Blackberry
De ole man start tuh talk bout whu gine change de macro policy and bring real change in all dese issues and jes so de fellers disappear…
Domps I gine axe you sumting you recently mek a comment which mek de ole man believe dat you is a Christian.
I wonder if you and I might got any reason tuh tink bout annuder verse in that Good Book which says “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?”
Gents Wunna is de most verbal uh de BUians here assembled why Wunna suddenly gone quiet?
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“A Bold Change in Policy”
Not sure who is responsible for the headline but according to the dictionary “bold” is described as – “fearless before danger” and “ showing or reflecting a courageous daring spirit and contempt of danger” etc. What is “bold’ about reversing an order that the Minister himself imposed? Cell phones are as ubiquitous in Barbados as Saturday Pudding ‘N’ Souse my octogenarian mother has one, rather than impose a ban in the first place rules could have been drafted covering the use of cell phones in Schools but Bajan Gov’ts like to “ban” its seen as an easy solution to any issue.
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Bagnall Point this Friday 6:00 pm Pelican Village. The best actors in Barbados will be reading a script that exposes Political Parties for what they really are. It is free. Do not miss it. The most instructive 45 mins that you will ever spend.
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@ Jeff,
The Lendl Simmons case.
“The judge noted that in Trinidad, no action can be founded based on the failure to respect the privacy of a person. “Given the rapid pace with which the face and fabric of the society has changed and cognizant of the infinite reach of social media, it cannot be denied that the privacy of the person is under attack and there is dire need for the enactment of statute to afford protection for citizen’s personal privacy”.
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/73781/lendl-simmons-pay-ttusd150-revenge-porn#sthash.ONXUJJXw.dpuf
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@Hants
The Express’ report re the Judge’s comments was more comprehensive, wondering what the effect of this ruling on social media including the blogs.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20151026/news/simmons-to-pay-150000-in-revenge-porn-case
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Yes Hants, it’s one thing to type the info, quite another to provide documentation, particularly for something personal that involves confidentiality, that is why certain exposures must be properly timed.
Not making fun of the young lady because I am sure what that young idiot did was distressful enough, but her last name really spices things up.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/spring-valley-ben-fields-fired-king-article-1.2413335
We discussed this just yesterday.
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