Submitted by Paula Sealy
We are listening.
The silence on this brawl is no less troubling or unsettling than the brawl itself.
Two years ago the minister asked the police to do their job should teachers strike students. When students strike students where is the outcry for the police to do their job?
What have the teachers’ unions to say?
Where is their leadership?
Leadership is lacking across the education system. It is time for the minister to do her job.
We are watching.
We continue to listen.
What has a teacher to do when a student strike another student, but trying to redirect the student who is the aggressor? And if the incident arise to a level where someone is injured, then the Police should be notified.
But no Teacher has no business whatsoever beat a student in the year 2021, unless it is a case of self-defense.
Source: Nation
Source: Nation
As stated many times the issue of crime and where we are today is complex.
Source: Nation
the article is disturbing in that the writer is cognizant that the education for African children remains substandard, but still bellyaching about useless CXC exams for this year, not worth wasting any energy reading the rest….the so called educators are a huge part of the backward problem..
can’t have it both ways, either advocate for radical changes to education output and a revolutionary upgrade FROM over 60 years of BRAINWASH EDUCATION, miseducation lack of information and outright lies taught to generations of unaware children and accepted by their parents, because they know no better, or shut up.
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/05/28/btcolumn-the-moral-dilemma-of-appealing-to-cxc/
Another perspective, the frauds talked about getting rid of the mentally disabling colonial created 11 plus but still keeping it in play….
a) they should take a long look at their own mental state and see how much damage it has caused and still is,
b) they should wonder why they CAN’T get anything RIGHT,
c) they should wonder why their yardfowls are such WORLD CLASS EMBARRASSMENTS.
maybe right there they will find the answers.
@3:35
Very good article.
Thought provoking. The writer asked -Is it all about a piece of paper at any cost or having standards and giving our children a quality education.
Recommended reading.
Note students have the option to defer.
‘Ministries of Education are finding it convenient and safe for these children to return to in-person classes in schools in this, the third term of the academic year, so that they can be “adequately” prepared to write this “screening” test.’
I did not read the full article so I may have missed where the author proposed a sound alternative to the ‘screaming test’ (no typo).
I would bet that unless an objective assessment of these students is done, many poor bright young children will not make it any of the top schools. Suddenly, all of the village idiots with money are HC bound.
I am fearful that a lack of objective assessments will place barriers in front of those who are intelligent but poor.
We need to stop pretending that we are a ‘fair’ society. We can criticize what we already have, but let’s have a good discussion of any possible replacement.
To repeat: CXC students have been given the option to defer.
One student said straight up, deferring is prolonging the agony
but the 4th and 5th formers might find it the better option.
keep depending on colonial minded idiots to keep your children AT THE BOTTOM, the world has moved on to bigger and better.
..in just ONE GENERATION…of rigid useful education….they are on top…one generation…let that sink in.
“Pichai Sundararajan, better known as Sundar Pichai, is an Indian-American business executive. He is the chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google. Born in Madras, India, Pichai earned his degree from IIT Kharagpur in metallurgical engineering.
August 19, 1967 (age 53 years), Hyderabad, India
Satya Narayana Nadella is an Indian-American business executive. He is the chief executive officer of Microsoft, succeeding Steve Ballmer in 2014. Before becoming CEO, he was the executive vice president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company’s computing platform/”
“I would bet that unless an objective assessment of these students is done, many poor bright young children will not make it any of the top schools. Suddenly, all of the village idiots with money are HC bound.”
They like it so..it’s been happening for decades and decades, nothing new…they are proud of it and boast of it and the island will remain in flux.
Sex Offenders Registry
We have had this discussion before and it was said that Barbados was much too small to have such a Registry, because such a Registry might potentially invited or encourage vigilantism, however, I believe that such a Registry is needed to deter the efforts of those persons who have a predilection to sexually abused minors.
Nevertheless, we have witnessed the conviction of Police Officers who have sexually abused minors in recent years and the conviction and sentenced one just a few weeks ago, as well as Teachers.
And the one case that comes to mind is the case where the Teacher stuck his hand in a student pants and held his balls tightly, because the student was not following instructions.
Sex Offenders Registry
Yes, a Sex Offenders Registry cannot prevent the predator from abusing children, but it allows Law Enforcement and the community better awareness of the location of the predator.
A Convicted Sex Offender, is placed on the Sex Offenders Website for public viewing, but beyond that the Sex Offender have to give Law Enforcement his or her place of residence after he or she is released from prison, so that Law Enforcement and the Community knows at all time where he or she resides, and if the Convicted Sex Offender moves, he or she must first notify Law Enforcement, if not he or she can be arrested and sent back the prison for violating the terms of Sex Registry.
And beyond that the community is made aware of how many Sex Offenders are living in their neighborhood and where, by pointers on their cell phone.
A good read
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/05/29/advocate-focused-on-ensuring-rights-of-children/
Contract Killings
A common practiced in Jamaica so it is no wonder the Bajan youths are imitating this kind of killing.
Now just to give you a little background on this contract Killing or gun man business, a Jamaican coworker whom was involved in criminal activity in the States, was advised not to go to Jamaica on vacation because a contracted had been taken out of him, but he ignored sound advice, and went back to Jamaica.
And the same day he returned to Jamaica, a gun man came to his home and called him out, and shot him in his face, where he died on the spot.
So Contract Killing is not a new phenomenon in Caribbean, this practiced had been part and parcel of the Caribbean landscape from as far back as the 1980s, but Bajan youths are not getting into the game.
TheoGazerts
I question the motives of Faith Marshall Harris and Shelly Ross, whom I have had a lot of discourse with on social media, and the only thing these two women are good at, is to jump on Social Media, and spew a lot of hot air, when there is an issue involving a minor, until another issue involved a child arrives.
The “new” perspective of experts, one that observation and common sense brought me to many years ago, is that what we call “village idiots” are simply people with different intelligences.
Some people should really do some research in such areas.
My idea has long been that we need to identify each child’s intelligence in primary school and rather than demoralise some of them with academic pursuits leading to a SCREAMING test, we should provide opportunities for them to develop and shine in those areas. The basics of Mathematics for everyday living and functional English would still be taught, of course, as well as Social Studies, History, Geography, Health and General Science in some form but simply to equip the child for living not necessarily for examination purposes.
Specialist schools have recently entered the lingo of the MoE. FINALLY!
Now all we need to do is reprogramme parents and society as a whole to delete the term “village idiot” from our vocabulary when referring to children.
And to let go of the debilitating Queen’s College/Harrison College Snob Syndrome.
And the most sickening and damaging Doctor/Lawyer SNOB Syndrome.
.
I have always had a healthy repect for all intelligences from way back when I realised that there were a few of them I did not have and that it was necessary for me (through my parents) to use the services of those who did.
Watching me with a needle and thread was like watching a monkey handling gun! And boy did I try! I needed to wear clothes!
My son is competent at academics but not excellent. But his Deighton Griffith ass runs rings around my Queen’s College ass in certain areas and leaves me scratching my head, with my mouth open, trying to keep up with his explanations.
“Slow down!” is my cry, “I have to understand this before I can back your investment with my credit card!
Three days later, “Oh, I get it! Here’s the credit card.”
“Don’t worry, mum! I made some money online and used my PayPal account.”
He is skipping right past me and reinvesting into the business.
“You have to spend money to make money, mum! I have a plan to set up my work space by July with everything it needs to produce quality. You probably will not have to invest much.” The boy already has a vast network with successful connections worldwide and clients waiting for his upgraded services.
At his age I had not made one damn cent! He had been making hundreds of dollars at thirteen without my knowledge. Found it hidden in his backpack one day and nearly had a fit! Was my son selling drugs? Was he the world’s greatest actor? How could he fool me like that? I nearly died waiting for him to come home from his outing that day.
Well, turns out it was not drugs and it was not nefarious. He just thought I might not approve of his choice which he had already decided to pursue as a career. And I was indeed skeptical and needed to be convinced.
Some time later we were shopping for shoes he needed and I refused to pay five hundred dollars for sneakers. He went downstairs, met a young client he had arranged to meet and came back with two hundred and fifty dollars. I had beat the price down to four hundred dollars. He had money left over.
Thank God I shut his father down with the “at least one of my children must be a doctor” crap!
He already had a lawyer and was looking to complete the set.
My son was his last chance.
I let my son find his way. He works passionately and happily for as many hours a day as it takes.
We must learn to respect square holes as well as we repect round holes so that we can learn to respect square pegs as well as round holes.
It DOES take all sorts to make a world- ALL SORTS OF INTELLIGENCES!
Just want to point out that my village idiot comment was directed towards being able to assess children so that those who are capable get the spots they deserve.
Without a process, we may end up with a system where the rewards are based on who you know, what your family have and not on merit.
I know not women. I found the article interesting and brought it to your attention.
“How do you help a student to reach his or her full potential?”
Well you bring the necessary resources in the classroom so that the student can reach his or his full potential, but how do you do that? Well you have a team meeting with the parents, the principal, the school psychologist, behavioral specialist, the speech therapist, the special ed teacher, and the teacher of the class, to help devise the best teaching strategies, to help the student reached his or her full potential.
Now the concept of segregating students according to their intellectual abilities, has stigmatized those students that have fallen below expectations, so the teaching strategy moving forward is to bring those necessary resources right into the classroom, instead of isolating the underachiever, in an effort to help him or her reach his or her potential along with a class comprised of students with different academic abilities.
Govt once again setting out a plan of intrusion
Instead of finding a plan upon which a better Barbados can be built for the youth
Barbados have a juvenile justice system already in place to deal with such problems
It is therefore up to parents to be guided by the authorities already in place to deal with such behaviour when occurs
Govt intrusion when will it stop
One step closer to authoritorian
First the adults now the children
People keep eyes wide open all things not always what the seem
Hitler also had got intentions until it was too late
The focus is on the (“individual needs”) of the student who is having difficulty understanding the material, so that he or she can reach his or her full potential.
“Without a process, we may end up with a system where the rewards are based on who you know, what your family have and not on merit.”
what are you talking about, it’s always been like that…..the main reason why they are all right where they are right now and someone coined the phrase, square pegs in round holes.
the non-ex-magistrate will take too much energy to comment on, these days am conserving mine….still wondering why she was upfront in condoning the jailing of the parents who wanted to homeschool their children away from the dangerous inferior quality colonial education system that now sees ALL OF THEM as laughing stocks….while indians, whites and syrians are welcome to homeschool theirs if they so desire and NO ONE ARRESTS THEM on the island.
she should also answer why as a magistrate in juvenile court for decades, she has always been aware, as a lawyer, of the 18th century laws used to torture Black children at GIS and never advocated to end it……until it blew up on all of them…these people are frightening, don’t know how they live with themselves.
@ David
There is absolutely nothing new in this debate or what has been reproduced here. The calls to get rid of the gas chamber examination knoww wen as the Eleven Plus, go back to the late 60s. It reached its zenith in the mid-70s and there has been little or no radical change in how we educate our children since 1962 when they say education was made free.
What we have done is build schools and turn the Ministry of Education into a political football. It is elementary that each human being possesses different skills. There are some who are what we call “ bright” and we usually mean academic. We refuse to see a mechanic or great mason as bright. We reduce them to they “ have a trade”. And the elitism in argument takes over from there.
Even when trying to dismiss elitism , we subconsciously still measure it by intellectual snobbery. We still believe that winning an argument with somebody from Queens or Harrison is an achievement. Even on BU there are those who tend to address those they consider their academic/ intellectual equals differently and then pretend they hate the elitism. I have carefully documented where this attitude was most evident and persistent. I can publish my findings tomorrow if I so choose.
This whole debate has now reached the joke stage. Nonsense emitting from all the Ministers of Education for at least forty, nearly fifty years.
The simple truth is that our society is only small numerically but it is gigantic in all forms of snobbery. One notes in the last by-election the term “ pedigree” was used. That was by no accident. Reifer was judged almost entirely on whether he had a basic command of English. His intellect was questioned more than his ability to deliver representation to the constituency. (Please note this is a mere comment on a campaign and not any endorsement of Reifer. ) Thank you ,my BLP friends here on BU.
The way forward is a blueprint on continuous assessment beginning from the primary school. This is no magic wand but is the best way to try reform of the educational system. Furthermore it cannot be achieved by the whims and fancies of fancy delivery on television. To completely reform the entire system will take anywhere between three to seven years, in order to do it comprehensively and fairly.
To put it very bluntly it’s a task beyond the capabilities of the current MOE. And it was a task beyond every single one before here including the current Prime Minister.
Until we remove education from the stranglehold of politicians and appoint a Director of Education , we would continue ,m to have , these almost now useless debates. While this Director will of course be answerable to the powers that be; he or she should be given full authority to implement the reform of the system and to remain in office until his or her contract is up. We can then either give them a new contract or advertise for a new Director.
This is not a task for party hacks. We need educators equipped with wide experience in the the field both at the technical and managerial level. A professional Director , whose cheque is earned and not given free food every Tuesday.
Until then our children will continue to fall through the cracks and the elitism and political skulduggery will continue
.The Ministry of Education has been and remains one of the biggest political cesspools for decades, under both the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party. Anybody with a sense of smell knows this .
It gets stinker by the minute.
@William
Yes the debate is not new, the problem is still a problem to be solved. Until it is solved, it has to be repeated. The caveat here is that the problem is trending across the Caribbean.
@WS
A solid contribution.
Have a great day, sir.
HAGD, Barbados
“One notes in the last by-election the term “ pedigree” was used. That was by no accident. Reifer was judged almost entirely on whether he had a basic command of English. His intellect was questioned more than his ability to deliver representation to the constituency.”
yet the pedigreed frauds are quite adept at delivering presentations and representations of only lies and deceit…..and boast about it for the whole world to see.
don’t care how they self-massage and preen, they just don’t have what it takes..not even for the continuous assessments that have been suggested on BU ad nauseum…..they will always introduce an element of corrosive nepotism, yardfowlism etc to disenfranchise someone else’s child….that’s who they are…a stain on the earth and embarrassment to Africa….can’t say Barbados, because they are applauded for that lowlifeism.
@ ac
Having an app to monitor or to be quickly informed of disruptions at the school plant is not and cannot be realistically deemed “ government intrusion.”
We should not allow our political leanings to so indoctrinate our thinking, that we cannot even give it a rest , where and when our children are involved.
We keep opposing sensible policies when they are not implemented or proposed by the party we support.
I recall the big fuss made over passports, cameras in customs and even scanners at the port. I recall the opposition to random police searches.
I recall call for AG Brathwaite to resign( Jones to resign and Sinckler to resign.
Now we want : Bradshaw to resign; Marshall and Duguid to resign.
Suddenly calling for resignations is being condemned. This is the crap that these two parties engagein. And the supporters of both the BLP and the DLP
have found a real conveyor of their particular brand of political waste on BU.
Violence in our schools has been a problem since the 80s. However it was usually swept under the carpet. Many teachers will tell us that they have been literally afraid to enter some class rooms.
We are dealing with different societal problems. I know some will jump in and say it’s so all over the world. And that is known. But we want to stamp out the malady in Barbados. We will get back to stamping it out in the world later!
One of the biggest problems is the use of drugs and alcohol by our children and although we don’t want to admit , sexual norms have changed dramatically and our children are also dealing with hypocritical adults, who talk about values but act completely differently.
For example we tell our children to stay away from deviant characters but we have them on speed dial.
In short, we need to stop politicizing every damn issue. Imagine when murders were 28/ 39 and the then AG had held a press conference with the now AG while he was opposition spokesman on crime, and they both agreed that “ We were all in this together”. The public would have positively responded to such a national call rather than the now AG calling for then AG to resign at 28/ 35 murders or so and he now expects that nobody should ask him to resign when it is at 40/ 50.
The Duopoly will destroy Barbados if this foolishness don’t stop soon.
@WS
A solid contribution.
Have a great day, sir.
HAGD, Barbados
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AGREED.
PROBLEM IN THE 2 x 3 ISLAND AND BY EXTENSION THE REGION THEY ARE STILL COLONIAL MINDED CANNOT THINK CREATIVELY AND ARE HAPPY WITH COPYING OTHERS WHILST ACTING SUPERIOR.
BRITAIN WHERE THE 11+ ORIGINATED FROM GOT RID OF IT OVER 50 YEARS AGO.
UK, USA etc WHERE NO 11+ ARE FAR MORE ADVANCE IN TECHNOLOGY AND CREATIVELY THAN SAME BACKWARD ISLANDS WHO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO MOVE AWAY FROM WHAT WAS LEFT BEHIND BY COLONIAL MASTERS RATHER THAN COMING UP WITH THEIR OWN SYSTEMS.
William Skinner
I do not believe that most Barbadians think that winning an argument with someone from Harrison College and Queen’s College is an achievement, when these these schools can be classified as merely community colleges.
But this how the system of education in Barbados had been erected, on the basis of prestige or schools of national repute, but I hardly think, knowing what I know now that these two schools are what they cut out to be.
“But we want to stamp out the malady in Barbados. We will get back to stamping it out in the world later!”
well said, you want to deal with your own tiny corner first, clean that up, you pay the bills as taxpayers and FUND THE WHOLE THING…
…the continents are way ahead in finding solutions for their OWN PROBLEMS and when they do, there will no longer be a trickle down into small societies who love to copy, but if ya don’t fix your small corner, you will be the only one left with the filth….and the corruption…and the tiefing…and the sellouts…and the subpar obsolete colonial education system..and the archaic colonial political system…and the criminal minorities.
William they got a lot of work to do, at least they know, at least they have the information, much more than they had before.
Wuhloss David, ya pack nuff in this one thread to unpack!!!
Silence about the school fight video? Wasn’t that one of those “big up” schools that were not part of the App rollout??
Contract killings? Nothing new, read any of my posts from the past 8 years about a sub culture becoming normalised. Why not pocket a couple grand, eat free in jail, come out on bail and get “big up” on the block?? Seems like a fair trade to any unemployed dejected youth.
CXC? More of the same. Nuff noise, nuff hot air, and CXC does what it wishes with the FULL blessings of the Ministers and Ministries. As you correctly said, if ya don’t like um…defer um. Ask Mary if she marking SBAs this year
Sex registry? Not sure if there is enough paper in Barbados to record this. Sexual abuse is a standard feature of Barbadian culture, hidden and covered up even more in “certain households.”
Irony: Pushing for the removal of Common Entrance, but forcing students to do CXC AND force the same Common Entrance down their throats.
This is who we ARE!
Just observing
@Observing
The Ellerslie School incident comes to mind from a few years ago. Many teachers are too scared to confront and deal with deviant behaviour for fear of reprisal. We can add politicians as well.
We are at a dangerous place and before the yardies chime in, it did not start today. The weeds were sprouting in lawn for a while.
Agreed @Skinner, forceful, pinpoint commentary above.
I take minor issue with your brief that a ‘professional’ Dir of Education would solve the issue of political interference… I have not seen that work ANYWHERE!
As you know well that basic concept is done in US (in fact a Bajan/or descendant from – Dennis Walcott – was said Dir of Education/Chancellor in NYC under a past Mayor in recent times).
We can agree that the ethos is ideal and needed but the reality is that there will still be political pressure applied … and in our small operational environment it will be often suffocatingly intense pressure.
And @David any sexual registry would be excellent-In theory – but as noted above re size and to badly pun, our incestuous/know everybody business culture, I would be truly shocked if that legislation was ever properly implemented locally.
The only fellas (gender neutral) that would get on the register would be those of the so called ‘lower’ and a few ‘middle class’ deviants…..
Not a fella from the higher class (monied set) would EVER be there.
So wha we would be doing really but further stratifing our society…. as also noted above … deviant and perverted sexual behaviours (and the pun above can be taken literally now) are all to common here… it desperately needs to be reduced and eradicated where possible …
Thus any registry must be REAL and capture all offenders not just those with no strings to pull!
I gone.
David
The Minister of Education in connection with RBPF, Parents, Guardians Teachers and Students, are the only ones who can addressed the issue of School Violence. Because a lot of the school violence originates in the community, so a Community Outreach Program is a good start in the process of addressing this School Violence.
Advocate focused on ensuring rights of children: https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/05/29/advocate-focused-on-ensuring-rights-of-children/
“Fair trade for unemployed, depressed youth” INDEED!
They have nothing and so they have nothing to lose.
Seems to me the solution is to get them something to lose. How about dreams of a worthwhile future!
Maybe that is why David posted the two articles on one blog. Education and block crime are linked.
“But these guys are monsters! They are cold blooded killers! This is the life they want!”
So tell me why they have to take dope to “psych themselves up to do the job”.(paraphrased)
The article taught me nothing I had not already surmised.
Except that they need artifical numbness in order to kill.
What does that teach us?
They don’t consider it a fun thing to do????
The article pointed out that $5000 is a lot of money for an unemployed youth.
So… seeing that they do not think it a fun thing to do and seeing that they are simply doing it for the little bit of money….. what would be the solution????
Ministry of Education – stop writing off our youth in Infants A! Find opportunities for them to identify and develop their intelligences SOONEST!
Society, stop bigging up book work and putting down all other work!
I bet there would be fewer boys on the block.
We are 166 sq miles and fewer than three hundred thousand people.
Wura is correct in saying that our problems should be easier to solve.
I do not agree with William Skinner that it is such a huge task. Not once we change our mindset.
Here is a success story, despite the evil-minded on the island.
https://www.nationnews.com/2021/05/30/jones-sets-new-long-jump-record/
@Donna
Changing our mindset is indeed a huge task.
Just observing
@ Donna
“ do not agree with William Skinner that it is such a huge task. Not once we change our mindset.“
The reform of education is a huge undertaking Especially when one has to deal with the existing attitudes toward the system . The reason it has taken so long and is so sporadic in public discourse is that the Eleven Plus is seen as the holy grail of our educational system.
This is not going to be any slam dunk matter unless we want to create pure chaos .
It needs political will and public endorsement and believe it or not, there is a considerable proportion of citizens who do not want the Eleven Plus’ abolished because in their thinking it is still the fairest examination possible.
Those of us who want the examination abolished and want to reform the educational system should see it as a very huge and necessary undertaking.
I know it it possible and it should be commenced forthwith but I am not underestimating the enormity of the task ahead.
What I question is the ability of those in charge of the system at the political level to do what needs to be done. And changing peoples’ mindset is not always an easy task.
I question them on very good grounds. Just look where we are today after calling for reform after nearly fifty years.
Public endorsement will be difficult to secure because of the affinity to the âschool tieâ.
“there is a considerable proportion of citizens who do not want the Eleven Plus’ abolished because in their thinking it is still the fairest examination possible.”
fairest as opposed to WHAT……it’s the only exam they have ever known, post emancipation and the standards testing, they are acting as though they have ever had any choices…all of this was IMPOSED ON THEM…most of them don’t even know that…they have never created an education system for themselves and their children…that’s why it’s all now TURNED ON ITS HEAD…
William….first, they have to face reality, if that’s a bridge too far, nothing is going to work..
But check out the irony, now they HAVE the freedom to UPGRADE the educational system to include their ancestral knowledge and the REAL TRUTH about themselves to be able to advance and move forward as a people, they don’t want it, the comfort zone of nothingness.
some people were earmarked to be perpetual slaves…and they apparently can’t help falling in line as designed to the detriment of their future generations…but that’s on them..
i gotta conserve my energy for other things..lol
@ WURA
Agreed. And that in itself is the Herculean task. My position is , even made more Herculean because of the bogus politicians ,who themselves have refused to reform the system.
a former student of Alexandra School
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/05/29/bajan-wins-pittsburgh-leader-of-the-year-award/
“because of the bogus politicians ,who themselves have refused to reform the system.”
for pure SLIMY SNAKES PURPOSES, thievery, corruption and all the dirty things they do with the criminal minorities…it does not fit into their narrow interests to have the population better educated and thinking independently, how will they ever get away with tiefing billions of dollars if the people can see what they do and PUT AN END TO IT…
how will they get away with their crimes, if the people realize they keep them believing they can do nothing for themselves and need all the criminals to do everything for them…..while keeping them locked into generational poverty..
the old colonial school tie…another SCAM that they fell for and now corruption rules roost and they are all trapped in it..
William…i don’t envy your task, the most that can be done is to point out these criminals to everyone, let the world know who they are and keep them in the spotlight everywhere, don’t give them a moment’s peace, but something has to give, this cannot continue.,,not for the long term…those who saw this coming warned them, but their colonial titles are wrapped too tightly around their empty heads..
the newer generations thankfully have choices they can utilize, some already decided they want no part of the humanity degrading filth that passes for politics or a degenerate and decayed system with vicious governments that rob them of everything….i listen to them all the time and that gives me hope, they are not pushovers and definitely not yardfowls/Slaves, so they will be unstoppable in removing themselves from what they rightly see as beneath them..
Observing,
Yes, the Herculean task is indeed the changing of the mindset!
Not the actual work.
I lost my school tie and my school ring years ago! Kept the friends and the memories.
Since we are posting columns.
Where is Adrian Greene’s column on the rationale behind the republic issue?
Ralph Jemmott also had an interesting take on it.
And Don Marshall’s column on the reduced work week was very interesting.
Our problems are all in our minds.
Adrian’s take is that we are like salt water fish swimming in fresh water.
We have been forced to operate in a foreign culture that does not suit our make up.
So we try to adapt to our foreign environment and are stifled in the process. As adaptable human beings we have learnt how to survive but not to thrive. As a society that is. Too many are frustrated and unfulfilled.
Quite frankly, I think the Government is still afraid to fully reimagine Barbados. We shall ping along with a sputtering engine until we do.
The job of a leader is to lead. Engage the people and bring them along.
But first they have to trust you!
And our politicians like to lie and refuse to be transparent.
Donna
“We have been forced to operate in a foreign culture that do suit or makeup”
Are you saying that we were brought to these shores from the different parts of West Africa, with an academic system that was uniquely ours?
Now I really do not follow you line of reasoning, because since Africa is such a diverse continent, with many different languages and cultures, how would we have been able to regained what had been taking from us during our enslavement, and us it to move our African civilization forward?
“Just my thought”
We have enough data now to create the kind of Academic System that is sure to produced the kind of results we think will encourage students to reach their full potential- because in reflection, we can see conspicuously, that the Teaching Strategy of segregating students with different academic and cognitive abilities, have done more bad than good. So in moving forwards, we have to rid that academic system of schools liken to Lodge, Queen’s College, and Harrison College etc, and erect major high schools in Barbados, that will accommodate students from all backgrounds, and with the different academic and cognitive abilities, and this will take the stigma out of education in Barbados, and motivate and implore students to do their best to reach their full potential.
“Just my thought”
As I’ve pointed out earlier, the way to encourage students that are having difficulty absorbing the material is not to segregate them and stigmatized them, but to bring them the necessary resources right in the classroom, and this will help them to reach their full potential.
Now as I reflect on my own education, I often wonder why wouldn’t it that the Ministry of Education did not do any IQ testing to determining the cognitive ability of those students, whom were having difficulty absorbing the material, rather than just throw them into a lower grade?And lastly, a lot of students back in the day were shortchanged by an antiquated and inadequate academic system that did not have the foresight to recognized those students with some form of Intellectual disability, rather than beating them to instilled education, when cognitively, they weren’t equipped to comprehended what they were being taught.
David
And David knows one of my Primary School Teachers, before he left the teaching profession in the early 1970s to pursue a career in journalism, Mr. John Sealy, man who taught with intimidation, but nonetheless, he achieved his desired objective because the one thing Mr. Sealy taught me and I still remember today, is how to pronounced They, there, and their ….God blessed you Mr. Sealy …. You were an intimidating figure but nonetheless, you meant well ….
David
I am quite one of the Johns here on BU, is my Primary School Teacher?
David
there is a parallel between a Teacher and an Army Drill Sergeant, because the quality of the Soldier, depends upon the skill of the Drill Sergeant, likewise the Teacher to the student.
David
Forgive me because it may appear that I am all nutts, and I probably am, because as a kid, I fell off of District A wall and hit that back of my head, and all my madda did was to give me some sugar wata. She should have probably taken me tah de hospital and I would probably have been normal today. Sorry …
@ WURA
Critical analysis of societal issues has always been deemed as unpatriotic.
Reforming an educational system is not buying buses and garbage trucks. Removing garbage from the mind is not as easy as removing it from the streets. That’s why nothing significantly changes or has changed since independence.
These changes that progressive thinkers have been calling for, go back to the 70s. In reality they are several decades overdue.
Perhaps they will surprise us and actually embark on the task of bringing real change , so that this same conversation would not have to be repeated in 2062.
“Critical analysis of societal issues has always been deemed as unpatriotic.”
so how does one become a patriot of a slave society that serves up racism, oppression, suppression, discrimination, thefts from the majority Black population, violation of human rights and pauperization of the young and their families.
…..i don’t get that, what is there to be patriotic about…i find it insulting and disrespectful that one is required to be patriotic in such a destructive anti-black anti-human environment..
.they have fooled yall for a very long time….they used the opportunity to bullshit yall and tief billions of dollars, that’s why they are in trouble for money laundering…now….🤣😜 they thought they were being slick..
“Perhaps they will surprise us and actually embark on the task of bringing real change , so that this same conversation would not have to be repeated in 2062.”
by then they themselves will more than likely not be on their fake paradise island….they think they got everything figured out.
And ya see that patriotic bullshit, they copied that from one of the bigger countries too, it’s not their own creation…..they have created NOTHING…THEY ARE ALL CON ARTISTS…snake oil sales people crawling on their snake bellies telling lies and deceiving.
I am ignoring you, Dompey because you don’t want solutions. You simply want to talk foolishness.
Source: Nation
Source: Nation
Source: Nation
“Professor Lee, seems to be more pessimistic about the future of our young people than I do”
Now it can be argue and argue with much justification that the Children during the Second World War had to deal with similar stresses and tensions, food shortest etc, and an uncertainty about the future, and yet they were resilient enough to come away from that experienced though ( especially Jewish Children) mentally and emotionally traumatized, and yet they were able to overcome this experienced, and grow into well balanced individuals who were able to contributed to the betterment of their society.
So I do believe that the Children of Caribbean possessed the resilience, to overcome the trauma of Covid 19, and that they will emerged from this experienced not as broken men and women, but as men and women who will lend of their experiences during Covid 19 with the right intervention of course, to make their society a better place for all to live.
These so called educators on the island are doing more harm than good to this generation of children, but what do you expect from 11 plus Slaves who don’t want any changes or upgrades to a miseducation system derived from slavery, because in their minds they believe they are on top and it has served them well, NOTHING DERIVED FROM SLAVERY IS ANY GOOD….
they are….backward thinking and believe everyone should be just like them..
another generation of children should not be subjected to these goddamn idiots..
And I also believe that with the right kind of intervention, those who had been abused during the Covid 19 pandemic, whether is be psychologically, verbally, physically, emotionally, sexually or have experienced some sort of wilful neglected, in the future will become the best advocates for the innocent and most vulnerable in our society.
So Profess Lee, the Eternal Pessimist tunnel
vision focused articulation of the facts as they relates to the negative impacted of the pandemic on Caribbean Children, does not sit will with me because I can see the light in the tunnel, whereas she appears to be tunnel vision focused.
Being strong advocates has nothing to do with whether the abuse should have occurred if we try to do better.
Isn’t she a vision of beauty, that’s the first thing to be taught in the schools…ACCEPTING YOUR ANCESTRY…instead of the ignorant Slaves, who are mostly adults, ridiculing and mocking, smirking and cutting their slave eyes and showing pure HATRED anytime they see African headwear or clothing….accept who you are and you will see the beauty in WHO YOU ARE….
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPiQip2HG9B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
A cross section of the majority population have now OPTED to home school their children, let’s see the backward blunderers and fumblers try any uneducated attempts to arrest these Black parents or give them any grief in the process as they have done before..
Antigua’s PM is now telling them that the region’s retrogressive curriculum can be blamed for them losing investment opportunities, jobs, money annually etc…don’t know how many ways they believe it can be said, we have said it for decades and then YEARS on BU… but the only good thing came out of that, is they didn’t get to tief more billions
let’s see if they continue as is…