As the title states, this article will touch briefly on the basic problem with our current education ‘System’. I put the word system in quotes not to sound like a sixties’ left wing radical, but I have no idea what else to call the ‘System’ that would fit into the text place holder.
Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. In Trinidad and Tobago, as elsewhere, there is a problem with the education system. I have categorized some of the articles dealing with specific problem areas into sub-topics such as: Schools, Methods, Curricula, and Teachers. The list can go on and on, but I think we would all be missing the point. It’s not how well the facilities are; how qualified the teachers are; how structured the curricula; or how radically innovative the methods of instruction. It’s the simple fact that Parents are best suited to educate their progeny.
For the really interested take a look at what was written by Socrates (yeah the dead Greek guy) on the formalization of the education process; see what John Gatto (an NYC teacher with over 29 years experience) has written in his letter “I quit, I think”. See what Einstein has said. Realize that Thomas Edison had only three months of schooling. Then… then, look at your kids; look at the society; see if you’re happy with what their lives will become if they’re left there. It’s not just about how much money they will make or how well they will be able to ‘provide’ for their own children. Life is much more than that. Look back into your own childhood; deep back. Get intimate with it. Were you truly happy with your school life? Sure you made some great friends. So do prisoners of war in an enemy prison. Their friends were all they had. And in school, friends may be the only way our children can cope, because we, as parents, have ABANDONDED them. It may not seem like it at first, but look and think..