THE OTHER NIGHT after watching the CBC News, I waited tuh see what CBC had tuh offer as I realise dat dem does bring back up these old programmes all the time and true tuh life they did. So I sat back and waited tuh see what it was all about.
Well, it was a documentary wid the fella Tony Cave who used tuh do all kinds o’ documentaries fuh the Government Information Service and he was talking ’bout the standard of our education system.
He said dat the quality of our education was so high dat we used tuh export it tuh different parts of the world.
He went on tuh say dat Barbados was the name associated with producing quality education in the Caribbean. Some o’ the names I could remember him calling were Thompson, Crick, Oxley and others. I tried tuh remember some o’ the rest but it went by too quick. It was real interesting and I had tuh say dat despite our small size, we have produced some o’ the brightest minds in the world and we used tuh take pride in dat.
I also had tuh say dat some o’ these men and women who were sticklers fuh good education would turn in duh graves if they could see wha’ happening wid the education system today.
Today, a lot o’ people have come along and watered down the education system fuh various reasons. All o’ the good values and standards set by these men and women who believed in good, quality education now seem tuh be going through the eddoes; it like it is a thing of the past.
 Changing rules
Today it ain’t nuh longer about the pride dat we used tuh and should still take in our children and the education system, it ain’t about the legacy dat was left, it ain’t about keeping up and striving towards maintaining the standard dat we were known for.
It ain’t about dem old educators bending ovah backwards, going above and beyond the call of duty and making sacrifices tuh make sure dat we children today stick wid and get the best education nuh matter what.
It look like it is only about the people who benefited from the good and free education but now all of a sudden, dem is the bosses, making big decisions and changing all the rules at the expense of the children who are the future of this nation. Nuhbody ain’t seeing the bigger picture nor the end result.
A lot o’ these people who now holding down big up positions in Government and unions forget and like dem now want tuh put down the very system dat dem come through and help dem tuh become who they are today.
Evah minute the teachers’ unions, if dem doan get wha’ dem want, duh calling out all the teachers from all the schools tuh what they call a meeting. I see it more as a wild cat strike. And who duh hurting? Once dem li’l feelings get hurt, dem shutting down classes . . . . I suppose dem got duh education a’ready.
But dem forget dat duh gine get old. By changing up this and undoing dat, getting vex wid the ministry and giving the minister ultimatums and striking, these children gine now be running things and I hope you remember that you taught dem how tuh resolve issues by striking and leaving dem tuh fend fuh demselves in the classroom, the many times when you left dem high and dry tuh go on strike.
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Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
