Linton P. Gordon
Parents are once more faced with a multitude of challenges at the start of a new school year. Teachers, too, are faced with a multitude of challenges in addition to ongoing disputes they have with the Ministry of Education pertaining to enumeration, leave, study leave appointments and, in general, the condition of their working environment.
Many of us are not aware that the working conditions for our teachers are deplorable and way below the standard that any civilized country would provide for persons with the responsibility of educating children.
The staff rooms provided for teachers are generally inadequate in so far as they are congested, suffer from poor ventilation and lack of adequate furniture.
Class rooms are usually overcrowded and especially at the primary level some classes contain as many as thirty (30) children, which means that the teacher does not get the time or opportunity to give individual attention to all the children, especially the slower learner or a child who might have difficulty with a particular aspect of a lesson.
OLE TIME TEACHER
We must face the harsh reality that the society is no longer accepting teaching as a profession the way it was once accepted. In the not so distant past, a teacher was a well recognized member of the community. He/she was one who played a leadership role in the church, in community groups and was seen as an example and a role model by young people.
There are teachers who, by their conduct and the company they keep, have destroyed that concept of a teacher and so the teacher in many instances is no longer respected and admired as was once the case.
The Ministry of Education has, in some instances, undermined the reputation of the teaching profession through its constant disputes with the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA). It has also constantly blamed teachers for failing in the education system. This position of the Ministry is widely accepted by several parents who do not look beyond the blame game of the ministry.
Despite the several policies announced by successive education ministers, there is yet to be a determined effort to reduce the student/teacher ratio to 15 students to a teacher, or less, throughout the educational system. Also, there needs to a determined effort to extend the contact period between the teacher and the student. The longer the period of supervised educational training, the more likely it is for the student to succeed in the subjects he or she is doing.
Parents must accept responsibility for the education of their children. There are too many parents who spent more of their resources on “bling bling” clothing, shoes and hairstyle while leaving their children without the books and other educational material they need to give them a chance at school.
Parents, especially those who are not wealthy, should appreciate that education is one of the safest routes out of poverty.
There are many of us in society today who are from extremely poor backgrounds but have been able to improve our lot, primarily because our parents went the extra mile and made sacrifices that ensured we received a good education.
It is very important that all parents appreciate the prudence of providing their children with all the resources to ensure that they receive the best education possible.
