Improving literacy, numeracy and oracy
thenassauguardian editorial
Nassau, The Bahamas
The Ministry of Education has pointed to plans to allow for the expansion of focus on literacy and numeracy by using a coordinated approach to improve both standards at the national level.
The ministry must be applauded for its intentions, but in addition to intensified literacy and numeracy efforts at the primary school level, there is also a need to focus on oracy or the oral skills of our students.
Many of our children and youth have a deficit of reading, writing and speaking skills. A comprehensive focus on all three skills is necessary. They complement one another.
We applaud those young people who are excelling in various speech and debate competitions. But the majority of our young people seem to become tongue tied when asked to speak in front of their peers or others.
This is not just natural shyness. It bespeaks a lack of confidence and a lack of mastery of various and basic verbal skills. These are skills our young people will continue to need in a global economy in which our major industries require superior language skills, including superior verbal skills.
That English is the world’s lingua franca is a major comparative advantage for The Bahamas, but only if we master it, along with other world languages.
As regards the ministry’s proposed efforts in the areas of literacy and numeracy, we note similar such efforts by successive governments and ministers of education. Many of them have had limited success.
The country will require more engineers, scientists, and other professionals who are numerate, a focus on this area is urgent and welcome.
Of course, reading is a prerequisite for a more literate country. In this regard, a love of learning and reading begins with parents and guardians who enjoy reading and whose curiosity propels them to life-long learning.
Whatever the deficits in our home life, schools can make an enormous difference in encouraging our young people to appreciate the joy of discovery and adventure that may be found in the world of ideas and books.
The Ministry of Education’s expanded focus on indigenous educational material may go a long way in helping to inculcate this spirit of learning in our young people, whether they are at risk learners or students who simply need a little more encouragement.
Disturbingly, many professionals and leaders in various areas of national life also demonstrate verbal and reading skills which reinforce in our young people certain poor attitudes and sloppy practices as regards to literacy and oracy.
Rather than simply bemoaning the lack of these skills in our young people, these professionals and leaders may wish to lead by example, improving both their reading habits and language skills.
4/11/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
An International Caribbean Online Log about the news and opinions in the Americas and World. This Caribbean Blog of global reach and appeal is maintained by Bahamian Blogger - Dennis Dames with all readers and subscribers in mind.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Male achievement in education is one of the more urgent challenges facing The Bahamas
PM Laments Low Male Achievers
BY ANDREW J.W. KNOWLES
jonesbahamas
With males comprising just 15 per cent of the College of The Bahamas (COB) graduates, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham admits that male achievement in education becomes one of the more urgent challenges facing the country.
"We are all concerned, for example, that males now comprise only 15 per cent of COB’s graduates," Prime Minister Ingraham said.
"The imbalance between the number of female and male graduates speaks to a deeper and broader national problem of male educational achievement. The subject is ripe I believe, for study and research by COB as we seek to develop innovative and practical ideas on how we may address the gender gap as it begins to manifest at the primary and secondary levels of our school system."
His remarks came during the official opening ceremony of the $28 million Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre last Friday morning at COB’s campus.
Recognising that male achievement touches on areas of national life from family life to crime prevention to economic development to public health, the prime minister said this "great national challenge" requires innovative and cross-disciplinary responses from fields such as sociology, social psychology, education, criminology, economics and other disciplines.
"If ever we needed to find innovative solutions to a critical national issue, we urgently need to do so on the challenge of boosting male achievement and reducing the level of criminality by young men."
"Even as the country turns to government and others for responses, it also increasingly turns to the institutions of higher learning to provide the research and ideas for innovation that will help us to collectively address this great challenge," the prime minister said.
Standing as a structure that promises to be a centre of excellence, learning, research and innovation, the library marks a milestone critical to the advancement of Bahamian scholarship and national development.
It also is a compelling milestone for COB as it continues to prepare itself to achieve university status.
Prime Minister Ingraham noted that the architectural vision and sweep of the centre serves to unify the college’s campus with entrances facing the entire college complex and surrounding neighbourhoods.
He also added that it points to a mission of outreach to the surrounding communities and also to a broader mission; one suggested by its technological capacity.
"This centre is host to a virtual library which is to connect and unify our far-flung island chain while also connecting the Bahamian archipelago to the world. The library will provide more than cutting-edge technology. It will help to preserve, inspire and advance the Bahamian imagination in every field of endeavour and scholarship. Indeed, the virtual library will significantly assist in the historic challenge of developing an archipelagic nation such as ours."
Proud that her husband’s dream of a library worthy of a university had been realised, Monique Moore said the modern structure would open the doors to new worlds of knowledge and prove that "the best things in life are worth waiting for."
"I am only sorry that Harry could not wait around long enough to see his dream become reality," Mrs. Moore said.
"He would be standing here, his slow smile breaking into a broad grin, that twinkle in his eye sparkling and he would nod his head in approval. Yes, he would say, this is good."
The elaborate library and information centre boasts a holdings capacity for 150,000 volumes, institutional archives and special collections and features a small auditorium, classrooms, media production studios, individual and group study spaces, support offices, a 24-hour Internet café and a museum commemorating the life of former Prime Minister the late Sir Lynden Pindling.
April 11th, 2011
jonesbahamas
BY ANDREW J.W. KNOWLES
jonesbahamas
With males comprising just 15 per cent of the College of The Bahamas (COB) graduates, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham admits that male achievement in education becomes one of the more urgent challenges facing the country.
"We are all concerned, for example, that males now comprise only 15 per cent of COB’s graduates," Prime Minister Ingraham said.
"The imbalance between the number of female and male graduates speaks to a deeper and broader national problem of male educational achievement. The subject is ripe I believe, for study and research by COB as we seek to develop innovative and practical ideas on how we may address the gender gap as it begins to manifest at the primary and secondary levels of our school system."
His remarks came during the official opening ceremony of the $28 million Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre last Friday morning at COB’s campus.
Recognising that male achievement touches on areas of national life from family life to crime prevention to economic development to public health, the prime minister said this "great national challenge" requires innovative and cross-disciplinary responses from fields such as sociology, social psychology, education, criminology, economics and other disciplines.
"If ever we needed to find innovative solutions to a critical national issue, we urgently need to do so on the challenge of boosting male achievement and reducing the level of criminality by young men."
"Even as the country turns to government and others for responses, it also increasingly turns to the institutions of higher learning to provide the research and ideas for innovation that will help us to collectively address this great challenge," the prime minister said.
Standing as a structure that promises to be a centre of excellence, learning, research and innovation, the library marks a milestone critical to the advancement of Bahamian scholarship and national development.
It also is a compelling milestone for COB as it continues to prepare itself to achieve university status.
Prime Minister Ingraham noted that the architectural vision and sweep of the centre serves to unify the college’s campus with entrances facing the entire college complex and surrounding neighbourhoods.
He also added that it points to a mission of outreach to the surrounding communities and also to a broader mission; one suggested by its technological capacity.
"This centre is host to a virtual library which is to connect and unify our far-flung island chain while also connecting the Bahamian archipelago to the world. The library will provide more than cutting-edge technology. It will help to preserve, inspire and advance the Bahamian imagination in every field of endeavour and scholarship. Indeed, the virtual library will significantly assist in the historic challenge of developing an archipelagic nation such as ours."
Proud that her husband’s dream of a library worthy of a university had been realised, Monique Moore said the modern structure would open the doors to new worlds of knowledge and prove that "the best things in life are worth waiting for."
"I am only sorry that Harry could not wait around long enough to see his dream become reality," Mrs. Moore said.
"He would be standing here, his slow smile breaking into a broad grin, that twinkle in his eye sparkling and he would nod his head in approval. Yes, he would say, this is good."
The elaborate library and information centre boasts a holdings capacity for 150,000 volumes, institutional archives and special collections and features a small auditorium, classrooms, media production studios, individual and group study spaces, support offices, a 24-hour Internet café and a museum commemorating the life of former Prime Minister the late Sir Lynden Pindling.
April 11th, 2011
jonesbahamas
Monday, April 11, 2011
Freedom of movement curtailed since independence of Caribbean countries
By Oscar Ramjeet
The freedom of movement of Caribbean nationals has been severely curtailed since the breakup of the West Indies Federation five decades ago and the various countries in the region gaining independence.
It is unfortunate because in the colonial days persons were free to move from one country to another, even to Barbados, without hitch, but because some governments became intoxicated with sovereignty they imposed serious restrictions.
And although the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) made provisions for free movements of professionals, musicians, journalists, etc., here is still a problem and regionalism does not seem to exist anymore.
There was some hope with the establishment of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the West Indies cricket team, but that seems to be shattered because there is no longer that regional togetherness of UWI students because of recent significant changes.
For instance, students from Guyana now complete their LLB degrees in Guyana and no longer have to travel to Barbados, where hundreds of students enroll every year, and now Jamaica is offering the LLB programme and this reduces the Jamaican student population at Cave Hill.
Bahamas now has its own law school and, as a result, would-be lawyers study at home.
From the 1950s up to recently, all medical students in the region have had to attend Mona, but now they can do so in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Grenada, and other Caribbean islands.
The poor performance of the West Indies cricket team has forced thousands of cricket fans to lose interest in the game and that to some degree has some effect on Caribbean unity.
The shameful behaviour of immigration and police officers at the Grantley Adams International airport against fellow Caribbean nationals should be dealt with by the Caribbean Community and it is unfortunate that CARICOM moves so slowly with these issues, as well as Caribbean unity.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Kamla Persad Bisssessar made a couple of unfortunate statements that Trinidad and Tobago is not an ATM machine for other CARICOM countries, but she has nevertheless said that she is very much in favour of regional integration.
Owen Arthur, former Barbados prime minister, who was masquerading and preaching the importance of CSME, was critical of Mara Thompson, running for a seat in Barbados because she was not a born Bajan, but a St Lucian, although she was married to a Bajan, late Prime Minister David Thompson, for more than 20 years.
The British Overseas Dependant Territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos require entry certificates (visas) from Jamaicans, Guyanese and citizens of the Dominican Republic.
For years the CARICOM has been discussing freedom of movement, but it seems as if they are not getting anywhere; as a matter of fact, it is getting worse since there is more harassment at airports, especially Barbados.
There have been reports that, in Antigua and Barbuda, Guyanese nationals are given a rough time by the Baldwin Spencer administration.
What is also unfortunate is the lack of interest and in some instances the refusal of governments to get rid of the Privy Council as their final court and accept the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court.
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were the first countries to gain independence from Britain in August 1962, and it unfortunate that after nearly five decades they are still holding on to the coat tails of the United Kingdom for justice. If you had political independence so long ago why not judicial independence, especially since you have highly qualified judges who can do a better job than the English Law Lords, who are so far away and do not understand the Caribbean culture and way of life.
April 11, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
The freedom of movement of Caribbean nationals has been severely curtailed since the breakup of the West Indies Federation five decades ago and the various countries in the region gaining independence.
It is unfortunate because in the colonial days persons were free to move from one country to another, even to Barbados, without hitch, but because some governments became intoxicated with sovereignty they imposed serious restrictions.
And although the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) made provisions for free movements of professionals, musicians, journalists, etc., here is still a problem and regionalism does not seem to exist anymore. There was some hope with the establishment of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the West Indies cricket team, but that seems to be shattered because there is no longer that regional togetherness of UWI students because of recent significant changes.
For instance, students from Guyana now complete their LLB degrees in Guyana and no longer have to travel to Barbados, where hundreds of students enroll every year, and now Jamaica is offering the LLB programme and this reduces the Jamaican student population at Cave Hill.
Bahamas now has its own law school and, as a result, would-be lawyers study at home.
From the 1950s up to recently, all medical students in the region have had to attend Mona, but now they can do so in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Grenada, and other Caribbean islands.
The poor performance of the West Indies cricket team has forced thousands of cricket fans to lose interest in the game and that to some degree has some effect on Caribbean unity.
The shameful behaviour of immigration and police officers at the Grantley Adams International airport against fellow Caribbean nationals should be dealt with by the Caribbean Community and it is unfortunate that CARICOM moves so slowly with these issues, as well as Caribbean unity.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Kamla Persad Bisssessar made a couple of unfortunate statements that Trinidad and Tobago is not an ATM machine for other CARICOM countries, but she has nevertheless said that she is very much in favour of regional integration.
Owen Arthur, former Barbados prime minister, who was masquerading and preaching the importance of CSME, was critical of Mara Thompson, running for a seat in Barbados because she was not a born Bajan, but a St Lucian, although she was married to a Bajan, late Prime Minister David Thompson, for more than 20 years.
The British Overseas Dependant Territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos require entry certificates (visas) from Jamaicans, Guyanese and citizens of the Dominican Republic.
For years the CARICOM has been discussing freedom of movement, but it seems as if they are not getting anywhere; as a matter of fact, it is getting worse since there is more harassment at airports, especially Barbados.
There have been reports that, in Antigua and Barbuda, Guyanese nationals are given a rough time by the Baldwin Spencer administration.
What is also unfortunate is the lack of interest and in some instances the refusal of governments to get rid of the Privy Council as their final court and accept the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court.
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were the first countries to gain independence from Britain in August 1962, and it unfortunate that after nearly five decades they are still holding on to the coat tails of the United Kingdom for justice. If you had political independence so long ago why not judicial independence, especially since you have highly qualified judges who can do a better job than the English Law Lords, who are so far away and do not understand the Caribbean culture and way of life.
April 11, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Childhood obesity is a growing concern in the Bahamas
New programme to tackle childhood obesity
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH professionals are teaming up to tackle the problem of childhood obesity, which they say is a growing concern in the Bahamas.
Darren Bastian, business development manager at Atlantic Medical Insurance, said insurers and health industry workers are seeing an increase in the number of children with diseases traditionally considered to be adult-specific, such as diabetes.
Atlantic Medical has teamed up with the Nassau chapter of The Links Incorporated, a non-profit organisation, to launch a childhood obesity programme in five pilot schools across the country.
Around 550 grade five students from St Anne's School, St John's College, Oakes Field Primary School, Sadie Curtiss Primary School and Woodcock Primary School will participate in the campaign, which aims to reverse the trend of childhood obesity.
They are being encouraged to participate in the annual Fun Walk fundraiser for the Cancer Society of the Bahamas and the Bahamas Diabetic Association. Last year the event generated $32,000 in donations to fund the two organisations.
"We are confident that over the years, Atlantic Medical Insurance Company Ltd has led the way in sensitising the Bahamian public about the importance of healthy lifestyles. We believe that if our children learn the importance of healthy lifestyles early in life that it becomes a win-win for everyone in the fight against lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and various kinds of cancer," Mr Bastian.
With the growing influence of technology, Mr Bastian said, many children are not as active as those who grew up just a generation ago.
He said local children used to entertain themselves with games that required exercise, such as "bat and ball".
Today, children usually sit in front of a game set with a bag of chips and exercise only their arms - by putting chips in their mouths, he said.
Childhood development is important, because "what is habit today becomes second nature tomorrow", said Mr Bastian.
"If a child develops unhealthy eating habits at a very young age that pattern will likely continue into adulthood," he said.
There is also a "ripple effect" in the system because of the problem of childhood obesity.
Mr Bastian said the healthier a population is, the more favourable insurance rates are. More diseases to treat and related higher the costs lead to higher insurance rates.
The role of a healthy lifestyle in disease prevention is a core focus of the annual fun walk and the school programme.
This is the 13th year of the fun walk and organisers expect to see many "fun walk babies" - children who first participated when they were infants in strollers and are now participating as teenagers, said Mr Bastian.
April 09, 2011
tribune242
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH professionals are teaming up to tackle the problem of childhood obesity, which they say is a growing concern in the Bahamas.
Darren Bastian, business development manager at Atlantic Medical Insurance, said insurers and health industry workers are seeing an increase in the number of children with diseases traditionally considered to be adult-specific, such as diabetes.
Atlantic Medical has teamed up with the Nassau chapter of The Links Incorporated, a non-profit organisation, to launch a childhood obesity programme in five pilot schools across the country.
Around 550 grade five students from St Anne's School, St John's College, Oakes Field Primary School, Sadie Curtiss Primary School and Woodcock Primary School will participate in the campaign, which aims to reverse the trend of childhood obesity.
They are being encouraged to participate in the annual Fun Walk fundraiser for the Cancer Society of the Bahamas and the Bahamas Diabetic Association. Last year the event generated $32,000 in donations to fund the two organisations.
"We are confident that over the years, Atlantic Medical Insurance Company Ltd has led the way in sensitising the Bahamian public about the importance of healthy lifestyles. We believe that if our children learn the importance of healthy lifestyles early in life that it becomes a win-win for everyone in the fight against lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and various kinds of cancer," Mr Bastian.
With the growing influence of technology, Mr Bastian said, many children are not as active as those who grew up just a generation ago.
He said local children used to entertain themselves with games that required exercise, such as "bat and ball".
Today, children usually sit in front of a game set with a bag of chips and exercise only their arms - by putting chips in their mouths, he said.
Childhood development is important, because "what is habit today becomes second nature tomorrow", said Mr Bastian.
"If a child develops unhealthy eating habits at a very young age that pattern will likely continue into adulthood," he said.
There is also a "ripple effect" in the system because of the problem of childhood obesity.
Mr Bastian said the healthier a population is, the more favourable insurance rates are. More diseases to treat and related higher the costs lead to higher insurance rates.
The role of a healthy lifestyle in disease prevention is a core focus of the annual fun walk and the school programme.
This is the 13th year of the fun walk and organisers expect to see many "fun walk babies" - children who first participated when they were infants in strollers and are now participating as teenagers, said Mr Bastian.
April 09, 2011
tribune242
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Haiti, the big picture
By Jean H Charles
The Haitian people, after the birth of democracy some twenty-five years ago (the Haitian Constitution was adopted on March 29, 1987), have put their faith in three leaders to lead them on the road towards development. Michel Joseph Martelly is the last one.
There was first Gerard Gourgue, who never made it to the balloting box as the election was disrupted by gunfire on the sad day of November 28, 1987. The military regime in place then, allegedly under international directive (the Reagan government mistakenly attributed leftist leanings to Gerard Gourgue) opened fire on innocent people in line for voting, committing the crime of lese democracy. Dozens were killed, the proceedings were disrupted, and Gerard Gourgue, a fiery human rights lawyer, never made it onto the altar of the national frontispiece.
The convulsion brought in a slew of de facto governments until the election of 1991, when the Haitian people chose a fiery anti-American cum leftist leaning, former Catholic priest Jean Bertrand Aristide as their leader. The experience was cathartic. Aristide turned out to be a divisive personality bent on pulling apart the very fabric of the Haitian national ethos. Twice ejected out of the country, he is now back home, allegedly as a private citizen interested mainly in the area of education.
There was in between Rene Preval, a nemesis of Jean Bertrand Aristide, the beneficiary of choice of the international community. He was not, because of his persona and his lack of commitment to the welfare of the people, a popular choice.
Some twenty-five years later, after the departure of the dictator Jean Claude Duvalier, the Haitian people have chosen an iconoclast music band leader, Joseph Michel Martelly, to avenge the country and to create a nation that shall become hospitable to all.
The birthing of this dawn of democracy was not easy. As elaborated in my previous columns, the government as well as a large section of the international community tried to convince the electoral board that the popular voice should be ignored to the benefit at first of the candidate of the government in power (Jude Celestin). Later, in the second round, the call was to shake the numbers for the benefit of the wife (Mirlande Manigat) of a former president, elected twenty years ago under a cloud of illegitimacy.
The big picture is: Haiti and its people for the past five hundred years have been seeking its own place in the sun. During the first three hundred years, a bloated colonial class has been living off the land like princes and princesses from the slave labour of the masses who will become the citizens of the first black independent nation in the world.
During the last two hundred years, special interest groups, have succeeded as would have said Alan Beattie (False Economy) to halt and even send in reverse all economic progress in the country.
The literature on sustainable development is now interested in seeking out why some countries succeed and why others fail. I have been for a long time perusing the reasons why Haiti has been and has remained a constant basket case. Some of the reasons are deep and structural. Some are circumstantial.
Because of my long and personal relationship with Henry Namphy (the strong man General after the departure of Jean Claude Duvalier) and Gerard Gourgue, I have tried to reconcile both military and civilian leaders for the sake of the nation. I either did not try hard enough, or the animosity between the two men was too deep and to entrenched. The end result, Haiti missed twenty-five years of solace and good governance!
The structural impediments are many and varied. Using a page story from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, I would say at the beginning: “Knowing the right thing to do to enrich your nation is hard enough; bringing people with you to get it done is even harder.” The founding fathers, Toussaint Louverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe knew how to transform the mass of slaves into productive and creative citizens.
They could not rally the team of the other generals to conceive and build a nation hospitable to all after winning the war of independence. As such Haiti lapsed during its first century into fratricidal struggles brought about by interest groups that captured the resources of the country and dragged the nation down.
Around 1911, came about Dr Jean Price Mars, Haiti’s own Dr Martin Luther King, who taught the nation it must love itself and engage in nation building. The politicians transformed his doctrine into a clan policy entrenched in the Haitian ethos today.
Haiti suffered also for a long time from the resource curse as depicted in Pirates of the Caribbean. It was first its majestic mountains filled with mahogany trees that attracted the French and the Spanish. Later gold and sugar cane made this island the pearl of the Antilles.
After independence, corruption and mismanagement exacerbated the resource curse whereby Haiti became the failed-state poster child of the Western Hemisphere. Through dictatorship, military government and illiberal democracy, the nation did not deliver any significant services to its citizen.
Joseph Michel Martelly has demystified the last bastion of literati and pundits who could not believe that the Haitian people would identify themselves with a commoner in politics, backed only by his passion for Haiti as his pedigree, on his way to the higher office.
I am predicting the Martelly government will be a success for Haiti and for the region. He will have enough Haitian people at home and in the Diaspora, as well as well intentioned members and nations of the international community who will lend a hand to build a nation that will at last create an aura of hospitability for all.
After five hundred years, it is about time!
April 9, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
The Haitian people, after the birth of democracy some twenty-five years ago (the Haitian Constitution was adopted on March 29, 1987), have put their faith in three leaders to lead them on the road towards development. Michel Joseph Martelly is the last one.
There was first Gerard Gourgue, who never made it to the balloting box as the election was disrupted by gunfire on the sad day of November 28, 1987. The military regime in place then, allegedly under international directive (the Reagan government mistakenly attributed leftist leanings to Gerard Gourgue) opened fire on innocent people in line for voting, committing the crime of lese democracy. Dozens were killed, the proceedings were disrupted, and Gerard Gourgue, a fiery human rights lawyer, never made it onto the altar of the national frontispiece.
The convulsion brought in a slew of de facto governments until the election of 1991, when the Haitian people chose a fiery anti-American cum leftist leaning, former Catholic priest Jean Bertrand Aristide as their leader. The experience was cathartic. Aristide turned out to be a divisive personality bent on pulling apart the very fabric of the Haitian national ethos. Twice ejected out of the country, he is now back home, allegedly as a private citizen interested mainly in the area of education.There was in between Rene Preval, a nemesis of Jean Bertrand Aristide, the beneficiary of choice of the international community. He was not, because of his persona and his lack of commitment to the welfare of the people, a popular choice.
Some twenty-five years later, after the departure of the dictator Jean Claude Duvalier, the Haitian people have chosen an iconoclast music band leader, Joseph Michel Martelly, to avenge the country and to create a nation that shall become hospitable to all.
The birthing of this dawn of democracy was not easy. As elaborated in my previous columns, the government as well as a large section of the international community tried to convince the electoral board that the popular voice should be ignored to the benefit at first of the candidate of the government in power (Jude Celestin). Later, in the second round, the call was to shake the numbers for the benefit of the wife (Mirlande Manigat) of a former president, elected twenty years ago under a cloud of illegitimacy.
The big picture is: Haiti and its people for the past five hundred years have been seeking its own place in the sun. During the first three hundred years, a bloated colonial class has been living off the land like princes and princesses from the slave labour of the masses who will become the citizens of the first black independent nation in the world.
During the last two hundred years, special interest groups, have succeeded as would have said Alan Beattie (False Economy) to halt and even send in reverse all economic progress in the country.
The literature on sustainable development is now interested in seeking out why some countries succeed and why others fail. I have been for a long time perusing the reasons why Haiti has been and has remained a constant basket case. Some of the reasons are deep and structural. Some are circumstantial.
Because of my long and personal relationship with Henry Namphy (the strong man General after the departure of Jean Claude Duvalier) and Gerard Gourgue, I have tried to reconcile both military and civilian leaders for the sake of the nation. I either did not try hard enough, or the animosity between the two men was too deep and to entrenched. The end result, Haiti missed twenty-five years of solace and good governance!
The structural impediments are many and varied. Using a page story from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, I would say at the beginning: “Knowing the right thing to do to enrich your nation is hard enough; bringing people with you to get it done is even harder.” The founding fathers, Toussaint Louverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe knew how to transform the mass of slaves into productive and creative citizens.
They could not rally the team of the other generals to conceive and build a nation hospitable to all after winning the war of independence. As such Haiti lapsed during its first century into fratricidal struggles brought about by interest groups that captured the resources of the country and dragged the nation down.
Around 1911, came about Dr Jean Price Mars, Haiti’s own Dr Martin Luther King, who taught the nation it must love itself and engage in nation building. The politicians transformed his doctrine into a clan policy entrenched in the Haitian ethos today.
Haiti suffered also for a long time from the resource curse as depicted in Pirates of the Caribbean. It was first its majestic mountains filled with mahogany trees that attracted the French and the Spanish. Later gold and sugar cane made this island the pearl of the Antilles.
After independence, corruption and mismanagement exacerbated the resource curse whereby Haiti became the failed-state poster child of the Western Hemisphere. Through dictatorship, military government and illiberal democracy, the nation did not deliver any significant services to its citizen.
Joseph Michel Martelly has demystified the last bastion of literati and pundits who could not believe that the Haitian people would identify themselves with a commoner in politics, backed only by his passion for Haiti as his pedigree, on his way to the higher office.
I am predicting the Martelly government will be a success for Haiti and for the region. He will have enough Haitian people at home and in the Diaspora, as well as well intentioned members and nations of the international community who will lend a hand to build a nation that will at last create an aura of hospitability for all.
After five hundred years, it is about time!
April 9, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Friday, April 8, 2011
Is Barbados an apartheid state?
By Rebecca Theodore
The surfeit of the dueling public and the storm of accusations about Barbadians’ poor treatment of visitors that are not tourists or others of European descent, continue to highlight a fundamental split in the Caribbean.
Although recent developments in the world at large mark the end of legislated apartheid, it seems that its entrenched social and economic effect operates covertly on Barbadian shores. Thus, political, social and cultural ambitions differ tremendously from the glorious morn of West Indian federation, and in its wake the very fabric of national self-determination is destroyed amidst the silence of the masses.
Common sense is no longer the given, but a corrupted oppressive factor in whose reign the seed of distorted perception finds new meaning in a glowing age of literacy.
While opponents consider the analogy of apartheid defamatory and reflecting a double standard when applied to Barbados, it cannot be denied that in light of recent discriminatory practices towards their own Caribbean brothers and sisters, apartheid is practiced both internally and externally in Barbados. It is true that Barbadians have protected themselves with an aggressive nationalism, but sadly enough in the hierarchy of rights; it is not a fair nationalism.
The many xenophobic impulses released in the name of nationalism endanger the future sovereignty of Barbados because it is not a nationalism that speaks of the rights of minorities. Moreover, if the Hegelian dialectic of synthesis lists high autonomy as one of those preconditions that create powerful common mythologies in the art of nation building, then nations are formed through the inclusion of the whole populace and not just the voices of the elites or of the ruling class.
In Barbados’s struggle to present to the rest of the Caribbean the picture of a perfect society or the Utopian dream, covert segregation among its own people prevails, denying the ordinary working class the historical legacies that they had overcome since the days of slavery to their present day liberation.
Unlike other Caribbean islands, where private interest is fiercely protected and states cater to their own people before tourism, supermarkets in Barbados only cater for tourists -- another exchange that deliberately conceals the truth that Barbadians are treated unfairly on their own shores by the white bureaucracy -- an exchange that prompted local calypsonian Gabby to reclaim Barbadian heritage for all in song and poetry. Hence, the Marxist theory that ideologies are conceived from the productive forces existing within the bowels of society holds true in Barbados.
Externally, Barbados’s treatment of Guyanese, Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals has been compared by social activists, investigators, and human rights groups as apartheid on Caribbean soil.
The Myrie affair is not only the voice that speaks for all Caribbean nationals, but also an insult to Barbadians overseas. As this matter transcends to an international human rights investigation, they will notice that with a tarnished reputation as a people strangled from within and one that discriminates against their own colour, they will in time be treated the same by immigration officials on the international scene and their tourist industry will suffer as well.
Foreign minister McClean’s illogical conclusion that “the Jamaican woman lied, since her body was never searched” and later emphasized that “Barbados is committed to the truth to ensure that justice is done” will yield that facts are the worst enemy of truth; and at the heart of the matter lies the complicated relationship of ‘conceptual fixation.’
Minister McClean must pay careful attention to the notion that the power of sentences has nothing to do with their sense or the logic of their construction because words are ambiguous and yield to ‘conceptual fixations.’ It is ‘conceptual fixations’ that still contribute to anti-Semitism, discrimination against women, intellectuals, pacifists, and homosexuals in society. It is ‘conceptual fixations’ that paved the way to the gas chambers, slavery and the civil war and ‘conceptual fixations’ may very well put a dullness on the spirit of Caribbean unity if Barbados fails to examine the problem of apartheid both within and without and the sweeping generalizations about Barbadians overseas.
Barbados needs a new dialogue with other Caribbean states to understand that apartheid is a crime. The Myrie matter questions the expertise of the Caribbean Court of Justice in determining public policy. While not ideal in other Caribbean states, the CCJ is very much alive in Barbados and has authority to set policy and make decisions about accusations of criminal behaviour. The call for the matter to be resolved without further embarrassment and that all government officials in Barbados and Jamaica need to pause and stop talking cannot be muted. The matter reflects a certitude in the ability of governments to determine the truth and in seeing that security and freedom cannot be perceived if freedom to subvert them is permitted.
Thus, at this point, words have taken over my realism but the chaotic and baroque practice of apartheid in Barbados must be examined. The consequences of this duel have great significance for the broader Barbadian society as well as for the future of Caribbean unity.
April 7, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
The surfeit of the dueling public and the storm of accusations about Barbadians’ poor treatment of visitors that are not tourists or others of European descent, continue to highlight a fundamental split in the Caribbean.
Although recent developments in the world at large mark the end of legislated apartheid, it seems that its entrenched social and economic effect operates covertly on Barbadian shores. Thus, political, social and cultural ambitions differ tremendously from the glorious morn of West Indian federation, and in its wake the very fabric of national self-determination is destroyed amidst the silence of the masses.
Common sense is no longer the given, but a corrupted oppressive factor in whose reign the seed of distorted perception finds new meaning in a glowing age of literacy. While opponents consider the analogy of apartheid defamatory and reflecting a double standard when applied to Barbados, it cannot be denied that in light of recent discriminatory practices towards their own Caribbean brothers and sisters, apartheid is practiced both internally and externally in Barbados. It is true that Barbadians have protected themselves with an aggressive nationalism, but sadly enough in the hierarchy of rights; it is not a fair nationalism.
The many xenophobic impulses released in the name of nationalism endanger the future sovereignty of Barbados because it is not a nationalism that speaks of the rights of minorities. Moreover, if the Hegelian dialectic of synthesis lists high autonomy as one of those preconditions that create powerful common mythologies in the art of nation building, then nations are formed through the inclusion of the whole populace and not just the voices of the elites or of the ruling class.
In Barbados’s struggle to present to the rest of the Caribbean the picture of a perfect society or the Utopian dream, covert segregation among its own people prevails, denying the ordinary working class the historical legacies that they had overcome since the days of slavery to their present day liberation.
Unlike other Caribbean islands, where private interest is fiercely protected and states cater to their own people before tourism, supermarkets in Barbados only cater for tourists -- another exchange that deliberately conceals the truth that Barbadians are treated unfairly on their own shores by the white bureaucracy -- an exchange that prompted local calypsonian Gabby to reclaim Barbadian heritage for all in song and poetry. Hence, the Marxist theory that ideologies are conceived from the productive forces existing within the bowels of society holds true in Barbados.
Externally, Barbados’s treatment of Guyanese, Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals has been compared by social activists, investigators, and human rights groups as apartheid on Caribbean soil.
The Myrie affair is not only the voice that speaks for all Caribbean nationals, but also an insult to Barbadians overseas. As this matter transcends to an international human rights investigation, they will notice that with a tarnished reputation as a people strangled from within and one that discriminates against their own colour, they will in time be treated the same by immigration officials on the international scene and their tourist industry will suffer as well.
Foreign minister McClean’s illogical conclusion that “the Jamaican woman lied, since her body was never searched” and later emphasized that “Barbados is committed to the truth to ensure that justice is done” will yield that facts are the worst enemy of truth; and at the heart of the matter lies the complicated relationship of ‘conceptual fixation.’
Minister McClean must pay careful attention to the notion that the power of sentences has nothing to do with their sense or the logic of their construction because words are ambiguous and yield to ‘conceptual fixations.’ It is ‘conceptual fixations’ that still contribute to anti-Semitism, discrimination against women, intellectuals, pacifists, and homosexuals in society. It is ‘conceptual fixations’ that paved the way to the gas chambers, slavery and the civil war and ‘conceptual fixations’ may very well put a dullness on the spirit of Caribbean unity if Barbados fails to examine the problem of apartheid both within and without and the sweeping generalizations about Barbadians overseas.
Barbados needs a new dialogue with other Caribbean states to understand that apartheid is a crime. The Myrie matter questions the expertise of the Caribbean Court of Justice in determining public policy. While not ideal in other Caribbean states, the CCJ is very much alive in Barbados and has authority to set policy and make decisions about accusations of criminal behaviour. The call for the matter to be resolved without further embarrassment and that all government officials in Barbados and Jamaica need to pause and stop talking cannot be muted. The matter reflects a certitude in the ability of governments to determine the truth and in seeing that security and freedom cannot be perceived if freedom to subvert them is permitted.
Thus, at this point, words have taken over my realism but the chaotic and baroque practice of apartheid in Barbados must be examined. The consequences of this duel have great significance for the broader Barbadian society as well as for the future of Caribbean unity.
April 7, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The recurring dilemma in Caribbean education
By Oliver Mills
Caribbean education, throughout its history, has faced an ever recurring dilemma, which is how to so structure and manage the education system to get the maximum results. But most importantly of all, how to design a system that gets rid of the historical dichotomy between catering mainly for a small, academic elite, while the majority of students leave school without the requisite number of subjects to pursue further education.
This issue is taken up by Rosina Wiltshire, who is reported in the Caribbean News Now of March 23, 2011, as saying that the education system in the region caters to the one third academic elite, while the remaining 67 percent leave school with two or less certificates, and with little option for technical, vocational and skills training, and so are viewed as failures, and see themselves as such.
This challenge to the Caribbean system has both philosophical and managerial roots. From its very inception, the school system in the Caribbean was structured around a certain type of education for one set of persons, who would later proceed to the professions, and another set that would engage in physical endeavour. Hence the distinction between an academic and practical education.
Primary education was designed for the lower classes, while a secondary or high school education, was for an elite. The private primary and high schools fostered an elite clientele, based on the ability to pay, and better teachers and resources, while the primary or public school system catered for the masses of the population, with comparably less resources, and teachers who were not well paid.
Those high school leavers who attained the requisite number of subjects proceeded to university, while those who had insufficient subjects, either went to technical and vocational establishments, or were exposed to skills and vocational training of varying quality. In the independence era, some Caribbean governments tried to democratise education, by structuring the system to accept more primary graduates into high schools, and many of these have done well. Some governments attempted this by converting certain institutions into high schools, to facilitate this increased number. And recently, in many instances, some of these newly established institutions have either performed on par with, or gotten better results than the traditional grammar schools. Vocational schools of various types have also been established, in order to facilitate better opportunities for students, and to supply the needs of the job market.
But why is it that, even in the era of independence, and the further democratisation of education, there are still institutions that produce an elite, and those that cater for another social class? It all has to do with the philosophical perception that there were certain persons who were endowed with an academic ability, while the majority was only fit for physical labour. This perception was also related to the socio-economic background of persons, in essence, a class analysis of capability and competence. The education system, therefore, was a replica of the class system in the society. The school therefore reproduced the social relationships that already existed in the wider society.
Education was therefore the instrument that decided where persons were placed in the social hierarchy. It determined who held what kind and quality of job, who the elites were, and who exercised power and influence. It was, and continues to remain an elite that determined what goods were produced, and services rendered in the wider society. Those who were deemed to posses less abilities became the consumer class.
The situation was further compounded by the fact that, although some Caribbean governments sought at various times to either make education free at all levels, it was not sustainable for many countries. But although there was greater access, those from the privileged classes continued to be the greatest beneficiaries, because of the types of schools they initially attended. Higher education, with its degree structure and grading mechanism, further ensured that only a minority got the requisite grades to graduate with top honours. In fact, in many school systems outside the Caribbean, many high schools only accept teachers with an honours degree. This ensures the same quality of product.
Even in the technical schools, there are divisions between technical, vocational and skills training, although there should be no distinctions, since no matter what it is called, skills remain the critical tools to be acquired. In some of these technical schools, students even do different examinations, and there are also perceptual differences and levels of recognition of particular courses that are offered. This even happens in higher education, where the humanities are seen as less rigorous than the social or natural sciences.
The point is, that it does not matter what the level of education is, primary or higher, there is the perception that some schools are better than others, and some programmes are preferred to others, and seen as superior. Even though in the technical and vocational areas, it is said that graduates of these programmes are financially better off, yet the class system determines that culture, reflected in the academic areas is the pivot of achievement. All of these factors re-enforce the idea, that an academic education is better than a technical or vocational education, although a gradual change in perception is taking place.
But what can be done to change this perception, which allows a gulf between various kinds of educational provisions? In one country outside the Caribbean, all of those institutions beyond the secondary level offering a technical education were granted university status. However in many circles, the retention of the term ‘technical’ seemed to denote inferiority. The institutions were therefore granted full university status, without the term ‘technical’ being a part of its name. What happened though, is, that although they continued to offer technical subjects, other arts, social sciences and management programmes were added, apparently to bolster their image as serious institutions. In addition, lecturers who could not get jobs at the more traditional institutions, were recruited to these institutions. This had the effect of tilting the balance again away from technical to an academic education.
Even in the area of political leadership, the type of school a person attended gives the stamp of eligibility for high office. There was a prime minister of one country with a degree in the natural sciences, whose intellectual abilities were highly questioned. This was because high political office was, and is still seen as the province of persons who studied law, management studies, social sciences,’ and even medicine. The point is, that academic ability and competence are still seen as being embedded in academic subjects, and the other technical areas are perceived as not producing the kind of intellectual and academic competence as these areas. The technical areas are still seen as being ‘hands on’ although exposure to technical areas does not rule out the ability to formulate alternatives, or to reason logically. It is not just the use of the hands.
To dissolve the distinction between an academic and vocational and technical education, Caribbean governments need to undertake serious efforts to educate their publics that it does not matter which type of school is attended, or which subjects are offered, that everyone receives a quality education irrespective of the level of that education. Again, accreditation criteria should be put into effect both nationally and internationally to give credence and credibility to the programmes that are offered, so that there is both regional and international equivalence of programmes, and no one feels cheated.
Also there should be a healthy mix between the academic and technical in all programme areas, as computer science shows, so that arts or social science subjects could be done as part of any programme, with the latter still retaining its quality and legitimacy. Furthermore, the subjects must be taught in such a way that a clear linkage is demonstrated between them, and not as separate areas. If the linkage is not shown, the dichotomy between the areas would be further strengthened.
In a final sense, ministries of education in the Caribbean need to formulate and advance a clear philosophy of education, which dispenses with division and distinction, and advocates the interrelationship of subject areas. The value, and values embedded in the subjects should be brought to the forefront, so that the equality factor is demonstrated and adhered to. In addition, a consciousness raising campaign should be waged by the educational establishment, stressing the ethical content and solutions orientation of the subjects offered at any level of the system.
These measures would serve to break down and dissolve any prejudices against certain subjects and institutions with respect to their value, and contribute to bringing about equality not only among institutions, but also in the wider society.
April 7, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Caribbean education, throughout its history, has faced an ever recurring dilemma, which is how to so structure and manage the education system to get the maximum results. But most importantly of all, how to design a system that gets rid of the historical dichotomy between catering mainly for a small, academic elite, while the majority of students leave school without the requisite number of subjects to pursue further education.
This issue is taken up by Rosina Wiltshire, who is reported in the Caribbean News Now of March 23, 2011, as saying that the education system in the region caters to the one third academic elite, while the remaining 67 percent leave school with two or less certificates, and with little option for technical, vocational and skills training, and so are viewed as failures, and see themselves as such. This challenge to the Caribbean system has both philosophical and managerial roots. From its very inception, the school system in the Caribbean was structured around a certain type of education for one set of persons, who would later proceed to the professions, and another set that would engage in physical endeavour. Hence the distinction between an academic and practical education.
Primary education was designed for the lower classes, while a secondary or high school education, was for an elite. The private primary and high schools fostered an elite clientele, based on the ability to pay, and better teachers and resources, while the primary or public school system catered for the masses of the population, with comparably less resources, and teachers who were not well paid.
Those high school leavers who attained the requisite number of subjects proceeded to university, while those who had insufficient subjects, either went to technical and vocational establishments, or were exposed to skills and vocational training of varying quality. In the independence era, some Caribbean governments tried to democratise education, by structuring the system to accept more primary graduates into high schools, and many of these have done well. Some governments attempted this by converting certain institutions into high schools, to facilitate this increased number. And recently, in many instances, some of these newly established institutions have either performed on par with, or gotten better results than the traditional grammar schools. Vocational schools of various types have also been established, in order to facilitate better opportunities for students, and to supply the needs of the job market.
But why is it that, even in the era of independence, and the further democratisation of education, there are still institutions that produce an elite, and those that cater for another social class? It all has to do with the philosophical perception that there were certain persons who were endowed with an academic ability, while the majority was only fit for physical labour. This perception was also related to the socio-economic background of persons, in essence, a class analysis of capability and competence. The education system, therefore, was a replica of the class system in the society. The school therefore reproduced the social relationships that already existed in the wider society.
Education was therefore the instrument that decided where persons were placed in the social hierarchy. It determined who held what kind and quality of job, who the elites were, and who exercised power and influence. It was, and continues to remain an elite that determined what goods were produced, and services rendered in the wider society. Those who were deemed to posses less abilities became the consumer class.
The situation was further compounded by the fact that, although some Caribbean governments sought at various times to either make education free at all levels, it was not sustainable for many countries. But although there was greater access, those from the privileged classes continued to be the greatest beneficiaries, because of the types of schools they initially attended. Higher education, with its degree structure and grading mechanism, further ensured that only a minority got the requisite grades to graduate with top honours. In fact, in many school systems outside the Caribbean, many high schools only accept teachers with an honours degree. This ensures the same quality of product.
Even in the technical schools, there are divisions between technical, vocational and skills training, although there should be no distinctions, since no matter what it is called, skills remain the critical tools to be acquired. In some of these technical schools, students even do different examinations, and there are also perceptual differences and levels of recognition of particular courses that are offered. This even happens in higher education, where the humanities are seen as less rigorous than the social or natural sciences.
The point is, that it does not matter what the level of education is, primary or higher, there is the perception that some schools are better than others, and some programmes are preferred to others, and seen as superior. Even though in the technical and vocational areas, it is said that graduates of these programmes are financially better off, yet the class system determines that culture, reflected in the academic areas is the pivot of achievement. All of these factors re-enforce the idea, that an academic education is better than a technical or vocational education, although a gradual change in perception is taking place.
But what can be done to change this perception, which allows a gulf between various kinds of educational provisions? In one country outside the Caribbean, all of those institutions beyond the secondary level offering a technical education were granted university status. However in many circles, the retention of the term ‘technical’ seemed to denote inferiority. The institutions were therefore granted full university status, without the term ‘technical’ being a part of its name. What happened though, is, that although they continued to offer technical subjects, other arts, social sciences and management programmes were added, apparently to bolster their image as serious institutions. In addition, lecturers who could not get jobs at the more traditional institutions, were recruited to these institutions. This had the effect of tilting the balance again away from technical to an academic education.
Even in the area of political leadership, the type of school a person attended gives the stamp of eligibility for high office. There was a prime minister of one country with a degree in the natural sciences, whose intellectual abilities were highly questioned. This was because high political office was, and is still seen as the province of persons who studied law, management studies, social sciences,’ and even medicine. The point is, that academic ability and competence are still seen as being embedded in academic subjects, and the other technical areas are perceived as not producing the kind of intellectual and academic competence as these areas. The technical areas are still seen as being ‘hands on’ although exposure to technical areas does not rule out the ability to formulate alternatives, or to reason logically. It is not just the use of the hands.
To dissolve the distinction between an academic and vocational and technical education, Caribbean governments need to undertake serious efforts to educate their publics that it does not matter which type of school is attended, or which subjects are offered, that everyone receives a quality education irrespective of the level of that education. Again, accreditation criteria should be put into effect both nationally and internationally to give credence and credibility to the programmes that are offered, so that there is both regional and international equivalence of programmes, and no one feels cheated.
Also there should be a healthy mix between the academic and technical in all programme areas, as computer science shows, so that arts or social science subjects could be done as part of any programme, with the latter still retaining its quality and legitimacy. Furthermore, the subjects must be taught in such a way that a clear linkage is demonstrated between them, and not as separate areas. If the linkage is not shown, the dichotomy between the areas would be further strengthened.
In a final sense, ministries of education in the Caribbean need to formulate and advance a clear philosophy of education, which dispenses with division and distinction, and advocates the interrelationship of subject areas. The value, and values embedded in the subjects should be brought to the forefront, so that the equality factor is demonstrated and adhered to. In addition, a consciousness raising campaign should be waged by the educational establishment, stressing the ethical content and solutions orientation of the subjects offered at any level of the system.
These measures would serve to break down and dissolve any prejudices against certain subjects and institutions with respect to their value, and contribute to bringing about equality not only among institutions, but also in the wider society.
April 7, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
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