Today, THE VOICE introduces a brand new column ANNOU PALE aimed at stimulating dialogue on some of the most pressing problems facing our country at this time.
We plan that this conversation will continue for some time throwing up ideas and solutions to the problems that have been identified and selected for discussion. You, the reader, have the opportunity to join the debate which in fact, has already started.
We begin by looking at the issue of unemployment and the unavailability of jobs at a time when another 3,000 or so young persons are about to be unleashed onto the job market. The reality is that our country with a 24.9 percent unemployment rate, has made no preparation for them. So what is their future going to be?
So let’s talk….annou pale.
New Views from our last Tuesday’s comments
~~~Peter Pan~~~~
My child leaves my home. Two buses later and several miles on, he arrives at school. Half an hour a later he enters class and his school days begins.
Who is responsible for my child? He interfaces with a number of teachers, subjects, class, home and head teacher. The army of teachers is controlled by the Ministry of Education which hires, disciplines, sets the syllabuses, plans my son’s future and is responsible for the management of the education process. The ministry of Education is an army in its own right and has at its head a general, the Minister of Education. His signature and deft nudge of the tiller directs his forces into battle against Ignorance. There is one above him. The Prime Minister signs off on the plan and controls the coffers.
Who accepts the responsibility of ensuring success? What is success? What do we spend 15% of $1,400,000,000 or $210,000,000 on? What do I do when my son says: “I want a JOB”.
Who is responsibility for the failure to equip him for a job? Who will own up to failure?
~~~~~~Alice~~~~~~
Thinking about responsibility and children. The government is responsible for the teachers and the teachers are responsible for the students. That’s what my brain says to me. When your son says I want a job. You go ahead and Son… you sit that boy down and show him the ways and means of getting that job he wants. Let’s not wait on the government. Let’s make it our duty to teach our children, other than waiting. We all are responsible for our children’s failure and for them too.
~~~~~~Sunne~~~~~~
I do not believe that any one person is solely responsible for the failure or success of a child. While I do believe that the parent has a major role to play in that regard, the old adage, “It takes a community to raise a child”, would definitely come into perspective here, Hence, the entire education system inclusive of ministers are accountable. The Prime Minister, who is usually the Finance Minister, would have to answer as well, as to whether the plans he signs off on serves to benefit my son.
Finally, within all this. My son as well needs to ensure, with my help that he rises against all that is set within the system, defy all odds and obstacles and excel, thereby, making himself marketable not only locally , but beyond our shores.
You as a parent are responsible for your child’s success or failure initially. Even though there is an Education Minister who sets the curriculum for the schools, if you as a parent feels that it is not right or don’t agree then you need to do something about it, be it extra lessons or home schooled totally.
The Government does a one size fits all and children and young people slip through the net and fail to learn and fail to succeed if some one does not intervene to change that.
The child also has a responsibility to you as the parent as well as themselves to learn what they can but also if they are unable to need to be able to ask for help to do so.
If a parent is unable to help the child they should engage a school leaver for extra lessons to help the school leaver to retain what they have learnt while they teach the younger child to learn.