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Recognising 'A from Bull-foot'
Barbara Gloudon
Friday, October 05, 2007
THE IMAGES on the front pages of both our morning papers on Wednesday were graphic... hundreds of men (and some women, it is said) storming the Ministry of Labour in the hope of being recruited for jobs in the Canadian construction industry. Jobs, jobs and more jobs. The people are rarin' to go.
The only problem is that a high percentage of the job seekers are not equipped to go anywhere. Many - far too many by all accounts - have no certification, no formal proof of their skills. Worse yet, many, way too many, are still in that place of limbo called "illiteracy". They cannot read and write to the level where an employer can accept that they could function efficiently.
According to reports, it seemed to have come as a shock to those rejected. If you ask them, they will tell you that they are good workmen. They can do the job, and they're most likely right, at least, some of them. All want a chance to "go to Foreign", to earn those coveted dollars, to send something back to build the house which is the ambition of every Jamaican, to send the pickney dem to good school, to live in Foreign, if at all possible.
On Tuesday, the number of applicants far outnumbered the jobs available, but every man and woman in that crowd which swamped the Ministry's premises wanted to be the chosen ones. Every one went to North Street confident. The "lickle matter" of not being able to read and write "so good" was not a problem in their eyes. But it was. Most of them will go nowhere.
What surprised me after reading the reports is how difficult it has been to get people to understand and to accept that it really does matter to be able to be what is called "literate". Anyone old enough to remember the great drive of the 70s to get people reading, writing and doing arithmetic through the JAMAL process, must wonder why we let the light go out of the lamp.
JAMAL was not terminated. It just suffered a fate worse than death. It was downsized, cut down to size you might say. Despite the efforts of some still-committed individuals who remain confident that the problem of illiteracy can and should be tackled, the high momentum of those 70s days has never been regained. JAMAL limped along, doing what it could, but the impact was never what it was or should be. The name has even been changed. Any bets as to how many know what it is?
IN THE JARGON OF TODAY, you could say that the cause of literacy has not been presented as "sexy" enough to make grown men and women want to get involved. There are people who will tell you that they don't need all that reading and writing stuff to get through life. They can get driver's licences without being able to read the Road Code. They know the runnings outta street, so res' the reading for now... until the preckeh come, that is.
There are sought-after masons, carpenters, electricians, gardeners who are fantastic workmen but can't recognise "A from Bull-foot" as the saying goes, so what's the problem? you'll hear people ask. The problem is what we saw at North Street on Tuesday. The shock seemed to have been overwhelming. We won't even go into the other setback of the day - the eventual realisation of some of the job seekers that there are certain standards of dress and appearance which are not acceptable to others.
One of the day's reports was almost comedic in its description of men with cornrow plaits trying desperately to change their appearance in time for the interview. Despite the quick business which sprang up on spot with women offering to unplait hair and pat it down, it was too late. After we've finished laughing, it's not so funny, really, certainly not for those men who wanted to be on that plane to Canada.
The hairdo is not my problem. It is the reading and writing thing which is the challenge. While you can undo the plaits and shave the head, if necessary, the inability to recognise letters put together in a way to enable you to know where you're going, is another matter all together.
I keep hearing the voice of Robert Gregory in his heyday at HEART/NTA talking, preaching, begging even, about the need for our workmen to get certified, to take advantage of the work opportunities when they come, to fulfil the need of a new world which demands proof of competence. By yesterday, officialdom was putting the issue of certification back on the front burner, but will there be a new acceptance by the workforce? Mek wi see nuh.
One of the most potent slogans of the recently-ended electioneering was "jobs, jobs and more jobs". In anticipation of that day, it is to be hoped that job seekers will be alerted to the fact that they will have to be prepared. They shouldn't be surprised when employers ask: "What can you do?" Nobody is impressed by the response "Anything, anything at all."
CELLIE IN THE SCHOOL ROOM: The debate is on again: Should students be allowed to take cellphones to school? This round has been reactivated by the violent death of yet another schoolboy, in the vicinity of a school in St James, all because of a phone. The thief turned murderer because he didn't like the network to which the phone was aligned. Dear God! So, now we're asking again, should students take cellphones to school?
Parents say yes. It is a modern convenience. It helps them to keep in touch with their offspring. No, say many teachers. It is another distraction among too many other distractions. Yes, say some other schools, but only in the understanding that its use is confined to outside of the classroom. Yes, sort of, says Ministry of Education Andrew Holness. There will be restrictions - but not a complete ban. Text dat!
gloudonb@yahoo.com
Barbara Gloudon
Friday, October 05, 2007
THE IMAGES on the front pages of both our morning papers on Wednesday were graphic... hundreds of men (and some women, it is said) storming the Ministry of Labour in the hope of being recruited for jobs in the Canadian construction industry. Jobs, jobs and more jobs. The people are rarin' to go.
The only problem is that a high percentage of the job seekers are not equipped to go anywhere. Many - far too many by all accounts - have no certification, no formal proof of their skills. Worse yet, many, way too many, are still in that place of limbo called "illiteracy". They cannot read and write to the level where an employer can accept that they could function efficiently.
According to reports, it seemed to have come as a shock to those rejected. If you ask them, they will tell you that they are good workmen. They can do the job, and they're most likely right, at least, some of them. All want a chance to "go to Foreign", to earn those coveted dollars, to send something back to build the house which is the ambition of every Jamaican, to send the pickney dem to good school, to live in Foreign, if at all possible.
On Tuesday, the number of applicants far outnumbered the jobs available, but every man and woman in that crowd which swamped the Ministry's premises wanted to be the chosen ones. Every one went to North Street confident. The "lickle matter" of not being able to read and write "so good" was not a problem in their eyes. But it was. Most of them will go nowhere.
What surprised me after reading the reports is how difficult it has been to get people to understand and to accept that it really does matter to be able to be what is called "literate". Anyone old enough to remember the great drive of the 70s to get people reading, writing and doing arithmetic through the JAMAL process, must wonder why we let the light go out of the lamp.
JAMAL was not terminated. It just suffered a fate worse than death. It was downsized, cut down to size you might say. Despite the efforts of some still-committed individuals who remain confident that the problem of illiteracy can and should be tackled, the high momentum of those 70s days has never been regained. JAMAL limped along, doing what it could, but the impact was never what it was or should be. The name has even been changed. Any bets as to how many know what it is?
IN THE JARGON OF TODAY, you could say that the cause of literacy has not been presented as "sexy" enough to make grown men and women want to get involved. There are people who will tell you that they don't need all that reading and writing stuff to get through life. They can get driver's licences without being able to read the Road Code. They know the runnings outta street, so res' the reading for now... until the preckeh come, that is.
There are sought-after masons, carpenters, electricians, gardeners who are fantastic workmen but can't recognise "A from Bull-foot" as the saying goes, so what's the problem? you'll hear people ask. The problem is what we saw at North Street on Tuesday. The shock seemed to have been overwhelming. We won't even go into the other setback of the day - the eventual realisation of some of the job seekers that there are certain standards of dress and appearance which are not acceptable to others.
One of the day's reports was almost comedic in its description of men with cornrow plaits trying desperately to change their appearance in time for the interview. Despite the quick business which sprang up on spot with women offering to unplait hair and pat it down, it was too late. After we've finished laughing, it's not so funny, really, certainly not for those men who wanted to be on that plane to Canada.
The hairdo is not my problem. It is the reading and writing thing which is the challenge. While you can undo the plaits and shave the head, if necessary, the inability to recognise letters put together in a way to enable you to know where you're going, is another matter all together.
I keep hearing the voice of Robert Gregory in his heyday at HEART/NTA talking, preaching, begging even, about the need for our workmen to get certified, to take advantage of the work opportunities when they come, to fulfil the need of a new world which demands proof of competence. By yesterday, officialdom was putting the issue of certification back on the front burner, but will there be a new acceptance by the workforce? Mek wi see nuh.
One of the most potent slogans of the recently-ended electioneering was "jobs, jobs and more jobs". In anticipation of that day, it is to be hoped that job seekers will be alerted to the fact that they will have to be prepared. They shouldn't be surprised when employers ask: "What can you do?" Nobody is impressed by the response "Anything, anything at all."
CELLIE IN THE SCHOOL ROOM: The debate is on again: Should students be allowed to take cellphones to school? This round has been reactivated by the violent death of yet another schoolboy, in the vicinity of a school in St James, all because of a phone. The thief turned murderer because he didn't like the network to which the phone was aligned. Dear God! So, now we're asking again, should students take cellphones to school?
Parents say yes. It is a modern convenience. It helps them to keep in touch with their offspring. No, say many teachers. It is another distraction among too many other distractions. Yes, say some other schools, but only in the understanding that its use is confined to outside of the classroom. Yes, sort of, says Ministry of Education Andrew Holness. There will be restrictions - but not a complete ban. Text dat!
gloudonb@yahoo.com
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