There is a link between the adherence to democratic principles and the educational capacity of a people, suggests Minister of Agriculture Dr David Estwick.
During his contribution to debate on the education head of the 2011-2012 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure in the House of Assembly on Thursday, Estwick said education was more than the preparation for employment. Placing education at the centre of all endeavour, he noted that societies that had it as the dominant feature of their public finances were those more democratic than others.He added that societies which placed heavy emphasis on educating their people demonstrated greater adherence to the international rubric of law and the various conventions.
He argued that one could not underestimate the importance education played in the social, economic and political dynamics of a country, especially in relation to national stability. Estwick said in states governed by dictatorships or other autocratic structures poverty often prevailed, despite the existence of wealth. He noted there was a relationship between that poverty and keeping the populationunder-educated. He called on Barbadians to reflect on the major role education had played in the development of the island within this context.
The St Philip West Member of Parliament suggested that the annual large financial outlay in education was worth it when the resultant social impact was contemplated.
