Dear Editor,
I am deeply concerned about my country Jamaica. After all these years of Independence - 50, to be exact, we are not making any progress - we are not growing.
What is wrong with Jamaica? Why can't the country grow meaningfully? Most if not all our partners in Caricom are growing, so why can't we?
I am not going to join the bandwagon and blame the politicians for our lack of growth, because I think they are as committed to the growth and development of Jamaica as anybody else. I think they have all tried their best to lead and get this country moving forward, but to no avail.
I think something is radically wrong with our people. We are too violent and too selfish, and we are the most difficult people to be led. We do not think about our brothers and sisters, we do not think about the country as a whole; we think only about ourselves. As I see it, for this country to start any meaningful growth and prosperity, our selfishness has to be jettisoned.
I think this selfishness is largely due to ignorance. The lack of meaningful education has caused our people to be ignorant and selfish. We have to get our people properly educated in order to engender any kind of hope for this country.
Currently we are too backward, our school system and our educators have failed us badly. This country has spent tens of billions of dollars annually on education but to what end? What is the country getting for this large expenditure? Not much, I must say, because the country continues to be poor.
If as a country we are going to start moving forward, then I think a long, hard look must be immediately taken of our education system - no tinkering; the best brains must be assembled together, even if some have to be imported to right the wrongs that have been perpetrated over the years and put us on the right path to prosperity. In this vein the teachers' colleges must play a very big part. Currently, they are not doing a good job. Our teachers are not being properly trained, hence the half-literate graduates being turned out from our high and primary schools. We need to pay a lot more emphasis on the teachers' colleges. They must help in the fight against illiteracy.
A good sound education where people can learn to think and solve problems on their own is our only saviour on the road to prosperity.
We need to start now if we are going to catch up on the lost and wasted years. We need to start growing this country now in a positive and meaningful way so that our children and their children will be the beneficiaries of a beautiful and prosperous Jamaica.
Roy Wilson
Roy.Wilson@ajasja.com
Education will improve the country
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I am deeply concerned about my country Jamaica. After all these years of Independence - 50, to be exact, we are not making any progress - we are not growing.
What is wrong with Jamaica? Why can't the country grow meaningfully? Most if not all our partners in Caricom are growing, so why can't we?
I am not going to join the bandwagon and blame the politicians for our lack of growth, because I think they are as committed to the growth and development of Jamaica as anybody else. I think they have all tried their best to lead and get this country moving forward, but to no avail.
I think something is radically wrong with our people. We are too violent and too selfish, and we are the most difficult people to be led. We do not think about our brothers and sisters, we do not think about the country as a whole; we think only about ourselves. As I see it, for this country to start any meaningful growth and prosperity, our selfishness has to be jettisoned.
I think this selfishness is largely due to ignorance. The lack of meaningful education has caused our people to be ignorant and selfish. We have to get our people properly educated in order to engender any kind of hope for this country.
Currently we are too backward, our school system and our educators have failed us badly. This country has spent tens of billions of dollars annually on education but to what end? What is the country getting for this large expenditure? Not much, I must say, because the country continues to be poor.
If as a country we are going to start moving forward, then I think a long, hard look must be immediately taken of our education system - no tinkering; the best brains must be assembled together, even if some have to be imported to right the wrongs that have been perpetrated over the years and put us on the right path to prosperity. In this vein the teachers' colleges must play a very big part. Currently, they are not doing a good job. Our teachers are not being properly trained, hence the half-literate graduates being turned out from our high and primary schools. We need to pay a lot more emphasis on the teachers' colleges. They must help in the fight against illiteracy.
A good sound education where people can learn to think and solve problems on their own is our only saviour on the road to prosperity.
We need to start now if we are going to catch up on the lost and wasted years. We need to start growing this country now in a positive and meaningful way so that our children and their children will be the beneficiaries of a beautiful and prosperous Jamaica.
Roy Wilson
Roy.Wilson@ajasja.com
Education will improve the country
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