...for those who did not read Dr Wendel Able in todays Gleaner.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090729/health/health1.html

I am asking an important question, and this is not in any way meant to be taken lightly. I am asking because I do not live in Jamaica and my experience there is limited to that of being a tourist. My question: Is what Dr. Able says, in essence, correct?

Turey, Thanks for posting this link. As a non-Jamaican I'm a bit hesitant to judge this opinion, but find it very interesting, especially since I have just started reading "The dead yard - tales of modern Jamaica" by Ian Thomson, and this article is pretty much in agreement with what I've read in the book so far.

I don't agree that Jamaicans see money as a bad thing. Dr Able contradicts himself when he alludes to champagne taste on beer pocket. Obviously everyone knows it takes money to step up the ladder.

Also, I disagree that the system is designed to discourage the payment of taxes. I have first hand knowledge of how the government goes after small business people and bleed every bit of profit out of them. Perhaps my anecdote is based on corrupt tax collectors putting the screws to certain individuals because of their politics, or their inability to fight the system. I would say the system is more unfair rather than inefficient.

I agree with the Dr regarding the school system. The High School system begins with the Common Entrance exam which in itself is often subject to economics. Then which High School you attend (often identified by uniform)is again a question of affordability. Completing this continium, the type of job opportunities after graduation often depends on the school you attend. While there are of course exceptions to every rule, there clearly is an unfortunate pattern here.

Here's the article to make it easier for people to read and comment on it.
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Poverty sucks! We must have a complete change in mindset

Published: Wednesday | July 29, 2009

Jamaica Gleaner

I AM WHAT I THINK

Jamaica has tremendous potential. We have excelled in various spheres of life - sports, music, tourism - but have never been able to translate this success to economic prosperity. Lately, I have been asking myself this question, "Why are we still struggling economically?" These are my thoughts on the matter:


1. We are structured for poverty: Jamaica always existed as a plantation economy. The social and economic structures were designed to facilitate a few people becoming wealthy while the vast majority were intended to stay poor and provide cheap labour. Slavery has been abolished but the social structure is much the same and all institutions - church, school and government - still function to maintain this arrangement.


2. Limited opportunity: Every day thousands of qualified and unqualified young people go seeking after limited jobs. The plantation system is so designed that a considerable number of young people (especially young males) are not able to find gainful employment. They are locked out of society's opportunity structure. This leaves them hopeless, helpless and hapless.


3. Failure of the education system: In 1635, the planters in Barbados decided that they did not want an illiterate labouring population. They established schools on their plantations to teach the negroes. Jamaica only introduced universal elementary education for the negroes in 1835. The system was designed to produce an educated elite with the vast majority of our people at the bottom with little education.

The current distinction between traditional and non-traditional schools was designed to maintain an education system that produces a limited number of well-educated people and a pool of cheap labourers such as helpers, cleaners and gardeners. One can look at students going to school in the mornings and predict with some degree of accuracy their destiny based on their uniforms and demeanour.

The point I am making is that our education system has failed to adequately educate the majority of our people to become gainfully employed in the labour force and to be able to secure an income that will maintain an acceptable standard of living.


4. Attitude towards money: The aphorism, 'the love of money is the root of all evil' is widely believed by Jamaicans. Our parents drill this into our heads. As a people, we have ambivalent attitudes towards money. We don't see money as an instrument of reward and as an instrument which we should use to purchase goods and services. Nothing is wrong with money that is honestly earned.

The government bureaucracy is so designed to discourage us from making money. Government's red tape does not facilitate investment and the system is so designed to discourage the payment of taxes and the collection of money to run the country.


5. Champagne taste on beer pocket: As a society, we have developed high standards and very exquisite taste. This has caused many of us to live far above our means and this attitude is perpetuated by successive governments. This country spends far more than it earns and we have become one of the most indebted countries in the world. As a people, we simply have not fully grasped this truth.

If this country is to move forward and achieve economic development, we must have a complete change in mindset at the levels of the individual, institutions and government.
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Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept Of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.

Thanks Easier.

I agree with the point on education. The resources provided for public schools are pitiful. I applaud the principals and teachers for doing as well as they do with the students. I also wonder how families are supposed to afford sending their children to school. Even at Sandy Bank Basic School and at the Primary School things are not free. No wonder you see so many children out on the road or in their yards when you know they should be in school.

I know Treasure Beach Foundation awards scholarships to students starting with grade seven. What happens to the younger ones whose parents cannot afford to pay all their school expenses? What happens to the high school students who do not receive scholarships? This is a very sad situation. Does Treasure Beach Foundation have any plans to extend or enlarge their scholarship program?

There is no doubt whatsoever more assistance is needed in the local schools. Knowing this, our challenge is financial. It costs in excess of $2,000 (USD) per year for each of our students on a full high school scholarship -- and half of that for students on half-scholarship. We attempt to raise funds year round so we can meet our ongoing commitment to the students on scholarship; we've told them if they do their part, we will continue to do ours. At the current time -- much as we would like to do so, we have no plans to expand our program because we do not know from where we would get the funds.

Miss Kennedy, on the subject of education, I appreciate what you are doing for the community and understand why you feel Treasure Beach Foundation cannot additionally obligate itself.

I know you have close relationships at our area schools. Do you have ANY suggestions whatsoever?

Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with wise people will be wise, but whoever associates with fools will suffer.

The following are my personal observations and opinions and are not necessarily the same answers you’d get from the principals or the teachers.

One thing I’d like to note is how impressed I’ve been with the vast majority of the schools’ personnel I’ve come to know over the years. I think they are doing a marvelous job, especially considering the circumstances under which most of them operate.

Based upon what I have learned, there are many problems with the educational system in Jamaica. However, these problems are certainly not unique to Jamaica. And, these problems are not all caused by a lack of money; yes, more money would definitely help, but alone, more money will not solve what I see happening in Treasure Beach. As an FYI, Washington, DC’s public school system spends more per pupil than almost anywhere else in the US, but their students emerge as some of the worst-prepared in the nation, and the percentage of dropouts is huge.

So, what might make a difference in Treasure Beach?

• Family involvement is absolutely necessary. At the basic (pre-school) level and the primary (elementary) level, the parents need to instill a desire for learning in their children. If not, it is very difficult for the schools to do so. Too many parents think of the schools as places to take care of their children during the day. Too few parents show up for any PTA meetings. Too few volunteer to help at their child’s school. Too few read to their children—or even have a few interesting books in the house. Also, a lot of parents never bother to see if their child has completed his homework—or even bother to look at the child’s homework. Children learn what they see, not what they hear preached; the children need to see their parents take an active interest in their school and in their school work. Children need to feel pride in what they are doing. Discipline (rather the lack of it) is becoming an increasing problem; over the past 25 years, I have gone from thinking Jamaican children are among the most polite I’ve ever seen to wondering how some of the teachers can restrain themselves from doling out serious punishments to students who are continually disruptive and unruly. Again, respect for authority must be taught at home.

• The schools need more teaching resources. They are understaffed, especially Sandy Bank Primary. For instance, this past year, the Minister of Education funded one grade six teacher for 58 students—saying there weren’t enough students to warrant two teachers. The best that could possibly have been expected of one teacher would have been to try to keep order in the classroom. Treasure Beach Foundation was fortunate enough to have had the funds to pay two-thirds of the salary of an assistant teacher, so those 58 students could be broken into two classes. Unless we get some very generous donations for the coming year, however, we will not have the extra money on hand to do something like this again.

• The teachers need more training, especially in computer science. Several of the teachers at Sandy Bank Primary are not adept on computers, making it virtually impossible for them to teach their students how to use a computer.

• The schools need more learning materials and equipment, especially computers and CD-ROM teaching materials. CD-ROMS would enable some students to be able to learn at their own pace, either more slowly or more quickly than the majority of their classmates. There are no computers at Sandy Bank Basic, and there is an outmoded computer lab at Sandy Bank Primary. The equipment is donated and it is not necessarily in good condition, even upon receipt. When it breaks, there is no one to repair it. Computer connectivity—or the lack of it—is a huge problem; Sandy Bank Primary has one ADSL line, and that’s not always working.

• Though the schools are free, it costs money to send your child to school. Parents must bear the cost of uniforms, school supplies, snacks, lunches, and transportation. It costs less for basic and primary school than it does for high school, but the costs are still a burden for many families in TB. That is one reason school attendance is so sporadic.

Thank you for your response, Miss Kennedy. I am a tourist and I go to TB about once a year for a week or 10 days. Give me an idea of something I can do to make a difference in the schools. Please understand I am not trying to be selfish, but I do not want to volunteer the entire time we are on vacation.

Miss Kennedy, I once wanted to give money to your foundation to go to a specific person and you said I could not do this. If I want to give money to a school for a specific purpose, can I do THAT through your foundation?

As a U.S. charity, Treasure Beach Foundation is not allowed to "funnel" money to a specific individual. When we collected money for community relief after both hurricanes Ivan and Dean, some people had specific individuals to which they wanted their donation given. Under U.S. law, we are not allowed to do that. So, in those cases, I suggested those people send their money directly to the individuals; I was willing to carry that money myself -- and I did that for those who asked -- but I could not put it through the Foundation's accounting system. Without such a rule, charities are open to a lot of abuses. For instance, someone might donate money to a charity to get the tax deduction but insist that the money goes to their brother.

However, if people contact me and would like their donation to go for a specific purpose (such as teaching salaries), that is something we are allowed to do.

To American Mother, if you can bring something to one of the schools that would be wonderful. Can you get your hands on a used but not abused laptop? How about buying some educational software? Do you have a musical instrument you could donate? Feel free to contact me directly if you need any more ideas or if you'd like to bounce anything off me.

What about any school supplies? What about a backpack?