Submitted By William Skinner
L-R): Edison Alleyne (Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment), Margot Harvey (Chairman, Sanitation Service Authority), Dr Denis Lowe (Minister of Environment), Clare Cowan (CEO of Cahill Energy), Christopher Sinckler (Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs), Denis Kellman (Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development), Senator Darcy Boyce (Minister of Energy in the Office of the Prime Minister)
The political class has failed to reform an education system that is now basically destroying the lives of a major portion of our only resource, our people. I am sometimes amazed, that those who for the better part of four decades, propped up the system, are now crying crocodile tears. The simple truth is that in our society, the educated elite, relishes the social and economic elevation the so-called “good” education guarantees them. Their legacy is to pass on the same to their children and grand children. It is from within this process, that the great and powerful political managerial class has emerged.
Those who attempt to institute change find themselves ostracized or are forced to join the elites even if they are never fully accepted. In some cases, those who benefitted from the elitist system, never make their mark and usually become bitter and despondent because they have failed to read the game. They are to be found unleashing their venom on the same political class they aspired to but failed to find any success.
Hence we have a society that cannot come to terms with its strengths or its challenges and is constantly falling short of simple national goals, such as the collection of garbage and the proper delivery of water to its citizens. While the weather can be blamed for some of our current water shortages, the simple truth is that all the engineers and scientists we have produced at the University of the West Indies, have failed to solve any of our problems. They being the crème de crème of the educational system are by far the greatest evidence that it has failed.
If indeed we accept that the society is falling apart, we must be intellectually honest and own up to how and why it is falling apart. Somewhere in some primary school, we are right now producing citizens who will spend the next thirteen years or so of their lives, receiving instruction that will guarantee them unemployment. In that same class room, we are producing the next litter of Napoleon’s pups that will destroy those who will be at the mercy of the elites. We will parade Napoleon’s litter for all to see and they will then continue the slaughter. This is the society we now have.
That is why more and more citizens will refuse to pick up litter that is not theirs. We have seen what happens to the Boxers of this world. Nobody wants to be other peoples’ corned beef. That system no longer works and we can continue to fool ourselves forever but that Barbados where we were taught to only take instruction and orders is quickly disappearing. And that is what the political managerial class and the non productive educated elites fear most. Soon those who are rabid apologists for the political managerial class will also see the largesse disappearing and they too will learn not to depend on fleecing the society. In other words, we all have a date with destiny. In order to have the society that will benefit all of our citizens, we must first have an educational system that embraces all of our children. Otherwise things will continue to just fall apart.
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