Pat Lazarus

The Editor, Sir:

Please publish the attached, as an open letter to Minister of Education Andrew Holness.

Dear Minister Holness,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Finally, a minister who sees the whole picture and is not afraid to place the responsibility for our functionally illiterate majority where it belongs to a large degree.

You are absolutely right in pointing to the quality of leadership of principals and the standard of teachers, mainly across our primary and all-age schools.

Children spend 25-30 hours per week in school, or roughly 900-1,080 hours per year, from age six. If they are sent to basic or pre-schools, then almost the same number of hours is added for ages three to six.

While there is no doubt that principals and teachers have been fighting an uphill battle for decades with conditions of the physical plants, overcrowding and social problems that arrive with our children, it is still very difficult to swallow that the majority of our children have been leaving schools functionally illiterate, after moving from grade 1 through to grade 7 or 9. I applaud you for pointing out that the standards of entrants to our teachers' colleges are appallingly low.

I have been teaching since the 1950s, interspersed with my bouts on television and radio. So, I've observed changes.

I remember very well when Prime Minister Michael Manley pulled the 'free education' rabbit out of the hat in an overnight bid to counter a very strong Budget presentation by Opposition Leader Edward Seaga. Great, idealistic concept. But has it ever been free education? Is it now? Not really.

Anyway, in the middle of a very polarised and antagonistic political climate, our educational institutions and standards began to unravel fast. A shift system was introduced, and a new nightmare began. To provide enough teachers for a newly burgeoning school population, Manley lowered the requirements for entry to teachers' colleges. Education fell further into the abyss.

So, I throw my support, for what it's worth, behind your pronouncements, recognising that fixing the staffing of schools is a task worthy of a conqueror. In all this, however, I am very aware of the relatively few excellent principals and teachers who are performing herculean tasks under very difficult conditions.

Teachers who love

I'm also aware of the teachers who may not be at the highest standard desirable, but who truly love children and take them under their wings.

Often, this is as therapeutic and effective for a child as academic achievement.

I also applaud, clap and cheer to hear the condemnation of the absurdity of elaborate graduation ceremonies among our primary and middle-school systems. I have railed against this for years in any forum that provided me the opportunity to shout about this 'culture'.

Abomination of priorities

I have seen so many basic, primary and all-age schools where most of the children graduating have not had the books they required throughout their school life, yet parents smash every piggy bank, borrow and use the money to pay their bills, in order to get 'pitchers' of their children in gowns, mortar boards, new shoes, big gifts with plenty ribbon to give 'teacha' and friends. Each one vying to outdo his or her neighbour.

Please do not be swayed by the 'school officials' who want to use 'moral suasion' to reduce this abomination of priorities. In our country, 'moral suasion' does not work. Regulation and enforcement do.

I often use the example of the seat belt law to demonstrate this point.

When Prime Minister Patterson and Cabinet decided that seat belts were to be used in every vehicle, there was the usual outcry. "Mi naw tie miself into no cyar. Dem cyan get mi fi do dat."

I heard and read those sentiments every day leading up to the appointed day. But the prime minister ran a thorough and effective campaign, not of persuasion, but of information and warning. Come the appointed day and every jack man was belted, and has remained so until this day.

That is what works. That is what reconditions people's views and finally educates them about the efficacy of the measure.

I am, etc.,

PAT LAZARUS

President - Rock Hall Citizens

Benevolent Society

Adjunct Staff - CARIMAC,

UWI.