Tweet
...all other development inputs...improved roads, ports etc...are important...but secondary to education
A new fiscal path
Published: Sunday | October 17, 2010
Philip Hamilton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
FORMER PRIME Minister Edward Seaga has pinpointed the agricultural sector and the human resources as the two areas with the potential to provide the earnings needed to alleviate the fiscal problems facing Jamaica.
Speaking at a recent Gleaner Editors' Forum, Seaga claimed that these two key areas were being woefully neglected.
"We haven't solved the education problem to get some educated farmers out there to deal with the land or find the high technology simple enough for farmers at the present level we have to operate," Seaga said.
Address education
He pointed to one of his recent articles in which he argued that many of the country's problems could be solved if the issues affecting education were addressed.
"I posited that if you want an education system do not put all children on the same level when they go into first grade in primary school," said Seaga.
He argued that 70 per cent of the children sitting placement exams were not ready for first grade while only the 30 per cent of children who attended "good" basic, infant and prep schools were ready.
The former Prime Minister had some support from retired United Nations economist, Dr Davidson Daway, who argued that Jamaica's problem was unique.
Daway charged that Jamaica was facing a situation where the policy makers were at one level while consumers were trying to grab at something that was not there.
"If we do not have that social intervention, it's not going to happen. We have a situation where even the World Bank made a comment that 90 per cent of our people can't read on a ninth grade level," Daway added.
He argued that this reflected an indictment on Jamaica, as it indicated that most persons were not educated enough to understand the meaning of terms such as policies and fiscal responsibilities.
"We've segmented our country into three dimensions - the hierarchy, those who can perform whether the economy is good or bad and those we don't care about who form the majority.
"We have to get everybody together in order to implement what we're trying to do, " Daway told the Editors' Forum.
Former deputy governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Dr. Owen Jefferson, argued that Jamaica's economy had been stagnating for a long time despite talk by successive political administrations about achieving economic growth.
He pointed to the 1970's when the Jamaica seemed to discover the fiscal deficits could be run without increasing taxes by printing additional money through the Central Bank.
At that time the deficit was allowed to climb to 20 per cent.
Jefferson cited Barbados, whose Central Bank rules are similar to Jamaica's and which is regarded as a Caribbean success.
He said the government of Barbados was fully aware of the problems of running deficits by printing money.
A new fiscal path
Published: Sunday | October 17, 2010
Philip Hamilton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
FORMER PRIME Minister Edward Seaga has pinpointed the agricultural sector and the human resources as the two areas with the potential to provide the earnings needed to alleviate the fiscal problems facing Jamaica.
Speaking at a recent Gleaner Editors' Forum, Seaga claimed that these two key areas were being woefully neglected.
"We haven't solved the education problem to get some educated farmers out there to deal with the land or find the high technology simple enough for farmers at the present level we have to operate," Seaga said.
Address education
He pointed to one of his recent articles in which he argued that many of the country's problems could be solved if the issues affecting education were addressed.
"I posited that if you want an education system do not put all children on the same level when they go into first grade in primary school," said Seaga.
He argued that 70 per cent of the children sitting placement exams were not ready for first grade while only the 30 per cent of children who attended "good" basic, infant and prep schools were ready.
The former Prime Minister had some support from retired United Nations economist, Dr Davidson Daway, who argued that Jamaica's problem was unique.
Daway charged that Jamaica was facing a situation where the policy makers were at one level while consumers were trying to grab at something that was not there.
"If we do not have that social intervention, it's not going to happen. We have a situation where even the World Bank made a comment that 90 per cent of our people can't read on a ninth grade level," Daway added.
He argued that this reflected an indictment on Jamaica, as it indicated that most persons were not educated enough to understand the meaning of terms such as policies and fiscal responsibilities.
"We've segmented our country into three dimensions - the hierarchy, those who can perform whether the economy is good or bad and those we don't care about who form the majority.
"We have to get everybody together in order to implement what we're trying to do, " Daway told the Editors' Forum.
Former deputy governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Dr. Owen Jefferson, argued that Jamaica's economy had been stagnating for a long time despite talk by successive political administrations about achieving economic growth.
He pointed to the 1970's when the Jamaica seemed to discover the fiscal deficits could be run without increasing taxes by printing additional money through the Central Bank.
At that time the deficit was allowed to climb to 20 per cent.
Jefferson cited Barbados, whose Central Bank rules are similar to Jamaica's and which is regarded as a Caribbean success.
He said the government of Barbados was fully aware of the problems of running deficits by printing money.
