I convince that some people does only talk ’cause them mouth don’t hurt them.
Case in point, Monday gone, the Ministry of Education closed all Guvment schools because the island was being affected by a tropical wave. From late Sunday night, rain was pelting down. However, some people called it “lil rain” and said that the day improved so the Guvment was wrong to shut schools.
Some of the more intellectual, David Comissiong being one, in lambasting the Guvment, talked about students in “other economically successful countries” routinely going to school in the “depth of winter” in freezing rain and snow.
And when I hear these kinda people talk, I does thank the Lord that I was able to travel and live abroad for a spell and that I got cable TV and Internet too, ’cause I don’t know who these people does feel them talking to.
Yes, children in many countries head to school in rain and snow, just like many here go to school in rain, but when the weather becomes severe the schools are closed. When there are snowstorms and the authorities deem it too dangerous, them does shut down the schools. And if you doubt me, watch CNN this winter and you gine see schools in some of them places gine shut down. And when the snow begins to melt and heavy rains and flooding come in, them people gine shut them schools, too, so don’t let nobody fool you.
These people behaving like every time the rain falls the Guvment does shut down schools. What happened on Monday morning was not “lil rain”, it was nuff rain and strong winds. In fact, trees in some places get blow down.
But you see, people with motor cars could afford to sit back and criticise the Guvment for shutting the schools, and do you know why? It is because them could drop their children to the mouth of the school and pick them back up, and if some had their own way, they would drive the car in the classroom and put off the child, so rain or snow ain’t gine bother them.
But everybody ain’t so lucky. Them got lil children seven and eight years old who does be at the bus stop early on mornings waiting for a bus to get to school. We don’t have subway stations or fancy bus shelters to escape the weather, these lil children does be at the bus stop getting bathed in rain water. And when rain falling hard like on Monday, an umbrella is a waste of time.
These lil kids have to get off a bus and navigate through flooded roads or across flooded fields to make it to school, by the time they get school, their shoes and clothes soaked right through.
Look, I have a daughter who went to Alexandra School in Speightstown, and all it took was one dog to wee-wee and down there used to be flooded. We got roads ’bout here that when they flooded you don’t know what is road from side walk; cars stalled in the middle of the road, bus service disrupted and in the country parishes it does be even worse.
Guvment took a wise decision to safeguard the well-being of the children, and somebody gine tell me ’bout students in economically successful countries, these same children who gine school in the “depth of winter” and shooting up the school and killing friends and teachers. Oh pleaseee!
Trust me, one day away from school will not stop your child from becoming successful in life.
See ya.
