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'Emancipendence' and education
Michael Burke
Thursday, August 02, 2007
This year the emancipation and independence holidays, and the days in-between (emancipendence) swim in a frying pan of political oil.
Michael BurkeThe House of Representatives has been dissolved, and on Tuesday, August 7, the day after we celebrate independence, it will be nomination time for the 60 constituencies islandwide. Meanwhile, free education is being addressed in this political campaign. But one can ask if education is an issue of this election campaign, or if it is simply a hype weapon of one of our political parties.
True, there was a time when the opportunity to get any sort of education was in and of itself a big thing. But we should have moved away from that. Education, free or not, should be implemented in a meaningful way in Jamaica. The fact that we have some serious social problems is a sign that something is wrong with the education system. Free education is one thing.
But if free education is going to mean more of the same, then we are wasting our time and money.
The truth is that governments since the 1980s have had to be innovative in finding money to finance it. Education has always been fully free ever since the People's National Party's Michael Manley as prime minister announced it in 1973. In the 1980s, the Jamaica Labour Party government, led by then prime minister Edward Seaga, introduced the education tax. But education appeared to be free up to the secondary or high school level, as students still did not pay, but it was actually paid for through the education tax.
In the 1990s the PNP government introduced cost-sharing. But it was never compulsory. Every September since that time, the minister of education, whether Burchell Whiteman or Maxine Henry Wilson, has announced that students are not to be turned out of schools because their fees have not been paid. And if children cannot be turned out because fees are not paid, how can one say that education is not free?
But politicians will be politicians as it is all about upstaging the opponent. And it has happened before. It was Norman Manley and the PNP that led the fight for political independence at a time when JLP founder Alexander Bustamante said that self-government and independence was slavery. While Busta's statement was senseless, he knew what he was doing. The mere mention of the word "slavery" caused the masses to oppose the elder Manley.
Still, in 1944, all Jamaican adults got the right to vote (universal adult suffrage). The Jamaica Labour Party would be elected for two terms and then Norman Manley's PNP would be elected to power for two terms. The mistake that Norman Manley made was to have sought the political federation of the West Indies before political independence was granted separately to the territories. I believe in political federation, but it should have come after political independence.
When the PNP won its second term on July 28, 1959, the JLP found itself without money when a by-election to the Federal House was imminent, following the election of Federal MP Robert Lightbourne to the local House of Representatives. When the JLP decided to take the line that they were not contesting the by-election because they were opposed to federation, Manley swallowed the bait and called a referendum.
At the time independence was coming. The issue of the referendum was whether Jamaica should proceed to political independence as a federation or individually. The JLP was able to plant successfully in the minds of the electorate that federation was different from political independence and that the JLP was in favour of independence, but the PNP was not. This was after Norman Manley had spent 23 years fighting for political independence and for most of that time being opposed by Bustamante and the JLP.
And the JLP upstaged the PNP by having Lynden Newland, the JLP MHR for Eastern St Thomas, moving in the House of Representatives that Jamaica become a separate independent nation. The PNP was forced to oppose the motion because they were committed to the federation and Jamaica being part of an independent federation of the West Indies.
The ploy worked and it is working again with respect to free education. The PNP, which was the party of free education, now has the tables turned on itself. This is one of the consequences of the PNP abandoning its socialist principles and going the free-market route.
But what sort of education are we talking about here? After 169 years of emancipation and 45 years of independence, education is still not custom-built for Jamaica. If some achieve all sorts of academic achievements (even doctorates), and their personalities are not rounded, then it is a waste of time.
Indeed, if people come out of our education system and are not emancipated from mental slavery, it is a waste of time.
The entire education system needs an overhaul. It is no point having an education system that does not address family life, self-worth and mental emancipation. Education is not a vague term.
Michael Burke
Thursday, August 02, 2007
This year the emancipation and independence holidays, and the days in-between (emancipendence) swim in a frying pan of political oil.
Michael BurkeThe House of Representatives has been dissolved, and on Tuesday, August 7, the day after we celebrate independence, it will be nomination time for the 60 constituencies islandwide. Meanwhile, free education is being addressed in this political campaign. But one can ask if education is an issue of this election campaign, or if it is simply a hype weapon of one of our political parties.True, there was a time when the opportunity to get any sort of education was in and of itself a big thing. But we should have moved away from that. Education, free or not, should be implemented in a meaningful way in Jamaica. The fact that we have some serious social problems is a sign that something is wrong with the education system. Free education is one thing.
But if free education is going to mean more of the same, then we are wasting our time and money.
The truth is that governments since the 1980s have had to be innovative in finding money to finance it. Education has always been fully free ever since the People's National Party's Michael Manley as prime minister announced it in 1973. In the 1980s, the Jamaica Labour Party government, led by then prime minister Edward Seaga, introduced the education tax. But education appeared to be free up to the secondary or high school level, as students still did not pay, but it was actually paid for through the education tax.
In the 1990s the PNP government introduced cost-sharing. But it was never compulsory. Every September since that time, the minister of education, whether Burchell Whiteman or Maxine Henry Wilson, has announced that students are not to be turned out of schools because their fees have not been paid. And if children cannot be turned out because fees are not paid, how can one say that education is not free?
But politicians will be politicians as it is all about upstaging the opponent. And it has happened before. It was Norman Manley and the PNP that led the fight for political independence at a time when JLP founder Alexander Bustamante said that self-government and independence was slavery. While Busta's statement was senseless, he knew what he was doing. The mere mention of the word "slavery" caused the masses to oppose the elder Manley.
Still, in 1944, all Jamaican adults got the right to vote (universal adult suffrage). The Jamaica Labour Party would be elected for two terms and then Norman Manley's PNP would be elected to power for two terms. The mistake that Norman Manley made was to have sought the political federation of the West Indies before political independence was granted separately to the territories. I believe in political federation, but it should have come after political independence.
When the PNP won its second term on July 28, 1959, the JLP found itself without money when a by-election to the Federal House was imminent, following the election of Federal MP Robert Lightbourne to the local House of Representatives. When the JLP decided to take the line that they were not contesting the by-election because they were opposed to federation, Manley swallowed the bait and called a referendum.
At the time independence was coming. The issue of the referendum was whether Jamaica should proceed to political independence as a federation or individually. The JLP was able to plant successfully in the minds of the electorate that federation was different from political independence and that the JLP was in favour of independence, but the PNP was not. This was after Norman Manley had spent 23 years fighting for political independence and for most of that time being opposed by Bustamante and the JLP.
And the JLP upstaged the PNP by having Lynden Newland, the JLP MHR for Eastern St Thomas, moving in the House of Representatives that Jamaica become a separate independent nation. The PNP was forced to oppose the motion because they were committed to the federation and Jamaica being part of an independent federation of the West Indies.
The ploy worked and it is working again with respect to free education. The PNP, which was the party of free education, now has the tables turned on itself. This is one of the consequences of the PNP abandoning its socialist principles and going the free-market route.
But what sort of education are we talking about here? After 169 years of emancipation and 45 years of independence, education is still not custom-built for Jamaica. If some achieve all sorts of academic achievements (even doctorates), and their personalities are not rounded, then it is a waste of time.
Indeed, if people come out of our education system and are not emancipated from mental slavery, it is a waste of time.
The entire education system needs an overhaul. It is no point having an education system that does not address family life, self-worth and mental emancipation. Education is not a vague term.