The Linden project area is situated in Region 10. The Demerara River provides a natural divide in Linden with Mackenzie on the eastern shore and Wismar on the western. Life in this mining community has been directed first by the prosperity of the bauxite industry then later its decline. During the community consultation, a basic spatial distinction was made between the residential communities on either side of the Demerara river. Mackenzie, was widely perceived to be a wealthier residential area than Wismar. Within Mackenzie itself, however, participants through social mapping exercises pointed to specific residential areas of higher wealth. A young woman who lived and worked in Mackenzie produced a social map of the area. She described the areas of Richmond Hill, Fair's Rust, Noitgedacht and Watooka as 'big shot', 'residential' and 'upper class' areas. Residents here are senior supervisors from Linmine, doctors and bank managers. The majority of houses in these areas were built by Alcan for their Canadian employees. When these employees left, Alcan sold the houses to Linmine who in turn sold them to local professional people.
Across the river in Wismar, the residents were generally perceived to be less wealthy than those in the 'residential' areas of Mackenzie. Yet, within Wismar itself, 'pockets' of extreme deprivation were identified, including the squatting areas of Canvas city, One Mile Extension and Victory Valley. In these areas, access to physical and social infrastructure was perceived to be poor, educational attainment low and livelihoods insecure. Victory Valley, one of the poorest areas, is feared as a seat of much criminal activity.
Participants in the community consultation process perceived clear differences in poverty status among the Linden population and articulated these differences in terms of sophisticated conceptualisations of poverty. The non-poor were perceived to comprise senior Linmine employees and local wealthy business people, living in more expensive housing (G$5-8 million) in areas of Mackenzie mentioned above. Other parts of Mackenzie such as Dakama Circle, Industrial Area and Kara Kara were seen as being of a higher socioeconomic standing than Wismar although lower than those populated by the non-poor. Participants associated poverty with a lack of secure employment and a lack of access to secure livelihoods. The decline of the bauxite industry in Linden was identified as central to trends in employment security and in the general prosperity of the area. As a local labour market traditionally highly dependent on waged employment a great emphasis was placed on the importance of education to poverty reduction, with a strong association articulated between educational attainment and employment/income earning ability.
The conceptualization of poverty in Linden takes on interesting features. There are those who believe that poverty does exist and readily identify characteristics of the poor. There are others who believe that poverty does not exist. For example, a businessman said, "Guyana is not poor and we don't really have poor people. But some people just can't handle themselves, so they go overboard." Others corroborated a distinction which was made by members of a group of parents with whom discussions were held during the first mission who differentiated between the needy and the poor. One man said that although there are things that he wants, he won't call himself poor. A young woman stated that " there are no poor people around. Some have more than some, but they still have."
For those persons who feel that poverty exists in Linden, they see a range of reasons for this, including
Poor communities have been identified as Canvas City, Half Mile, One Mile and Victory Valley. Additionally, poor people can be found scattered in other communities. The perception of poverty and the characteristics associated with it often leads to stereotyping. Discussions with a focus group of young men in Victory Valley helped draw attention to the complexity of life in such a community and the fall out from such stereotyping. For instance, one young man said that many in the Valley are willing to work but as soon as employers hear where they live, they refuse to offer employment. Such an attitude helps to make the reality of poverty more entrenched.
There is little doubt that poverty is seen to affect children's participation in the school system as well as the outcomes of that participation. A recurring issue was the cost of transportation to school from different parts of the town. When the mini-bus drivers demand, some children have to pay the full fare from Wisroc of G$50 in Wismar and G$60 to Mackenzie. It is easy to understand why the cost of transportation would pose a problem of access to school, being more acute when a household has to provide for more than one child.
For many in Linden, the external appearance and the internal reality are vastly different. The legacy of the bauxite industry in more prosperous days has been one which enabled many to own homes, to develop a sense of self which meant that they could reach for the sky and to acquire expectations of being taken care of. Now that the landscape has changed, many are trying to make ends meet and are trying not to let others know of their changed fortunes.
A 24-year old man who does a bit of farming noted that 'while the grass is growing, the horse is starving.' He exists on handouts until something better comes along. He feels that just as you are earmarked to vote, so you, must be earmarked; for a life job by government. He said people should check many homes and see what people have to eat, that not because people are dressing nicely or living in a big house does it mean that they are not poor. Once a man can't get proper food to eat he is damned poor.
For a middle-aged single mother of 7 who is employed, she wondered what is the use of being in the world if only to be treated like a dog. For her, life is hard. Even though she looks good on the outside, only God knows the inside. Many days she sits and cries. She said, "they say we are free. What are we free from? When you are small, you can't talk and if you talk, they laugh at you." She couldn't afford to send the eldest two children to GSS so they had to remain in a PT. However, the two who have finished school are now looking after the others who are in school.
Poverty encompasses more than the satisfaction of needs such as food, clothes and transportation to school. The voice of a 14-year-old girl rings out a message which needs to be heard. Her mother is a nurse and her father a mini-bus driver. She gets what she wants to eat and wear but she is not happy. Anything she asks her parents for, they try to give her but she is deprived of her parents' love. The parents don't have the time to spend with their children. When the children are going out, the mother is coming in. They barely talk. The father lives on the mini-bus. Sometimes their communication is just a hand wave. When the, parents have free time, that's when the children are in school. But it has to be that way so they can have food and clothes and a proper life, she said.
Consumption patterns of residents of Linden are useful indicators of poverty, in some instances. For example, a female shopkeeper shared her view on poverty in her community, Amelia's Ward. She said she could tell that people are poor "by the way people come and buy. Rich people don't buy dollar for dollar. They buy in bulk but the people here have to buy small, daily. Their minds are big and that is carrying them through but they need help."
An interesting insight was provided by a 60-year-old male pensioner who said that poverty is when a person can't hold his/her own and has to depend on others. People create poverty, some for themselves, some for others. For him, the solution requires people to cooperate, thus he said, "we have to help each other."
Residents hold different perspectives on the relationship between gender and poverty. One woman stated that "poverty doesn't have race nor male nor female." On the other hand, another said "women have all the strain where children are concerned. Women are the poorer lot because they have to maintain the family."
Linden is a predominantly Afro-Guyanese community. However, a small number of Indo-Guyanese and Amerindian families reside in the community. Amerindians are more likely to be found among the poorer families in the area.
Linden is said to be a town of people with many skills which were acquired from the bauxite company. Yet the opportunity to apply those skills is now limited in the formal sector. Not many have been able to establish their own enterprises to utilize the abundance of available skills. Without the bauxite company as an automatic employer, people have been forced to seek employment elsewhere, either in or out of the community. As in Corriverton, a range of occupational opportunities were raised by participants, with gender and educational level key factors in determining access. Overall, the community consultation confirmed that the decline of the bauxite industry in Linden had reduced the numbers of local employment opportunities for relatively well qualified school leavers. As a result many school leavers with 5 CXCs or more were more likely to leave the area for Georgetown, whereas previously they might have been absorbed into professional levels of the local labour market.
For young women in Linden, the majority of employment opportunities required a relatively low level of qualification. A focus group of young women analysed occupational opportunities for women in Linden by listing occupations and then scoring them according to numbers employed, income and entry-level qualifications (see Table 4). A wide range of occupations was listed spanning different labour market sectors. The group perceived teaching to be the single largest employer of women in the area, followed by sales, nursing, security services, clerical work and domestic work. Smaller employers included hairdressing, hotel/restaurant work and banks. Of the larger employers, only nursing and clerical work required 3 CXCs or more, representing fewer than one-quarter of working women. Teachers, according to this group, were able to enter the profession with minimum qualifications.
Furthermore, the group noted that the best remunerated occupations did not necessarily have the highest entry-level academic qualification requirements. Hairdressing, requiring a certificate but no CXCS, emerged as by far the most lucrative occupation. Banks and office clerical work, which required a minimum of 5 CXCs and 3 CXCs respectively for entry, paid only as well as hotel/restaurant work which required no CXCs for entry. Clearly, occupational opportunities and remuneration levels for women within the local economy are as strongly, if not more strongly, linked to vocational qualifications as they are to CXC success.
The declining fortunes of the bauxite industry have had an even greater impact on men's livelihoods in Linden, as the bulk of skilled and semi-skilled manual work in the industry had been male dominated. A narrowing of the range of occupational opportunities has therefore been more severe for male workers and hardest hit is the poorest section of the male work force, traditionally dependent on manual labouring jobs within the industry. A group of young men in Victory Valley, a very poor area in Wismar, analysed the occupational opportunities open to men from their community through a listing and ranking exercise. The group listed a range of occupations and then ranked them according to the numbers they employed and income levels. Finally, they indicated the qualifications required for these activities. Significantly, those jobs with highest remuneration levels - trades such as masonry, carpentry and joinery - were amongst the smallest employers of the Victory Valley work force. Conversely, the more frequently entered activities - including labouring and 'punting' (or 'hustling') -- were marginal, insecure and poorly remunerated, requiring no qualifications for entry. Only farming, it seemed, provided a relatively high income for a relatively large number of local men. Porknocking which was identified as the main source of employment for men in Linden may yield high financial returns but can also be unrewarding financially. It involves a high degree of risk with social consequences including families left unsupported during period spent in the field, family fragmentation and illness. A primary-school-aged boy in the group had returned from an interior camp where he was employed as a Tabourer. He rarely attends school and had to seek employment to help his family. He stated that he would like to continue his education.
One avenue for occupational mobility for these men was to enter the army or the National Service in order to learn a trade. The project-level implications of this analysis are clear. As with the findings from the local analysis of female occupational opportunities, a poverty-focused intervention aimed at secondary level education needs to ensure appropriate vocational curricula are provided within GSS in order to respond to the realities of local labour market opportunities for the poorest.
There is some consensus that jobs are limited in Linden. Some vacancies do exist but may be low paying. For example, the Regional Democratic Council had vacancies for carpenters. However, persons with the necessary skills could earn more working privately. A good carpenter could earn G$2000 per day. While some persons choose self-employment as a route to satisfaction of their needs, others seek employment out of the town - working in the gold and logging industries in the interior, working in Georgetown and other communities. There is evidence that people want to work. One employer stated that about 10 persons seek employment per day. The quest to earn an income by whatever means has led some women to engage in prostitution in interior employment centres. Others combine activities as a means of survival.
Donna is a 30-something year old mother of six. She could not afford to keep her eldest child, aged 15 in school so now she helps out at home; the child hopes to get a job some day. Donna is skilled in building construction but does not find it possible to use her skills. She does a little washing for people and gets a little help from Food for the Poor. She punts (picking hand fare i.e., begging in a high class way).
Donna knows that she is poor. When her partner of 7 years left her with their four children, she had to get food for her children so she went on the war path. She just didn't care. She later had two other children whose father also left her. She feels she owes it to her children to be with them until they pass the worst so if she has to beg her way, she will do it. She knows people will curse her sometimes but she is prepared to take it. She would like to take a course in icing but cannot afford to do so. If she gets a job, she will pay someone to stay in the house while she is at work. But she won't leave her children unprotected.
Some people do make a choice whether to work. In some instances, they prefer to be unemployed because of the conditions offered by employers. One woman said, "there are a lot of people who are not working because of the employers behaviour. Some of them curse and belittle their employees. People treat others like pigs just because they have to depend on them." Others depend on remittances which they receive from relatives overseas "to keep their heads above water."
What is the way forward for jobs in Linden? Some people feel that jobs have to be created by others including government while others believe that people can create jobs such as farming for themselves. Yet others claim that Linden is an industrial town and farming is unnatural to the people and their environment.
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Dust (Oscar Wallerson) Dust, |
The following constraints on access to education emerged during the community consultation in the Linden project area:
Placement in schools. The Department of Education has introduced a system of school placement which entails attendance at nursery and primary schools within catchment areas. Although introduction of this system received some negative reactions from parents initially, for the most part, parents now comply with the procedure. In relatively few cases, do nursery and primary children attend schools outside the catchment area. For example, some children of market vendors still attend schools near to their parent's place of work and can be seen around the markets after school; these children tend to get home late from school. Placement in GSS and PTs is done on the basis of performance on the SSEE, an examination conducted over a 2-day period. The cut-off score for entry to the GSS is determined by the number of places available in these schools as well as the preferences of parents who are asked to indicate three schools of choice in order of priority. Because the examination is done nationally, and because the provision of GSS places varies across the country, a score which would qualify a child in Linden for a place in PT would enable a child in Corriverton, for example, to attend a GSS. A mechanic at Linmine stated that his nephew in New Amsterdam gained less marks than his son who lives in Linden. While his son was placed in a PT, his nephew was placed in a GSS. The difference in programmes offered in the two types of secondary school has influenced participation at this level of the education system. The GSS programme is the overwhelming preference of parents and children. However, some parents prefer their children to attend the PT because of a prevailing notion that some children do not have the ability to cope with the GSS programme. What has not seriously been considered by many parents and teachers alike is that the SSEE is a one-shot examination and that some children are late developers, the latter point being made by more than one parent.
Financial barriers for children from poorer households. As noted above, the direct costs of schooling are obstacles to children's participation in formal education, both quantitatively and qualitatively. For some poor families, there is value in attending school regardless of the conditions which the children have to suffer. As a 17-year-old student noted, "You would find that even if people don't have anything to eat, they would prefer to eat salt and rice and try to send their children to school." Another person raised the question - at what level could we expect children to perform if they come to school hungry or know that when they return home there will be nothing to eat. In addition to the difficulty to satisfying basic human needs, being a student has other costs which parents are expected to meet. A single mother of two noted that teachers are always asking for money for something or other. If children can't provide this, they are sometimes put out of the school.
Physical access. One concern which has implications for the safety of children as well as their capacity to attend to teachers in the classroom and thus to maximize their learning is the shift system which applies in some primary schools. To begin classes at 7.30 am, some children have to start preparing at 5 am. Some have to travel by boat, with children from both shifts coming to school at the same time; they are often late for the first shift and leave early during the second shift. As a result, both sets of children receive reduced exposure to what is taught (see Social Appraisal Annex of Mission Report). The age limits placed on candidates for the SSEE and for transfer to GSS upon completion of the SSPE prevent children who have not attained the necessary "competence" from honing knowledge and skills which would allow them to function properly in the GSS environment. Automatic promotion is practised in primary schools. At the level of GSS, children are allowed to repeat a form only once, after which they would is required to leave the school. In some instances, children could attend another school. Children who live on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway are at a disadvantage. Transportation is not readily available. While one bus driver helps some children, the majority have to use mini-buses which ply the Georgetown-Linden route. As a consequence, they must be on the road early to increase their chances of arriving at school in reasonable time. Some eligible children do not attend GSS. The estimated GSS population living on the Highway is 200 persons. Amerindian children who live outside of Linden either pay high fares to attend school on a daily basis ($100 one way from Coomacka) or seek private accommodation in the town (primarily children from Mabura, a community which is 47 miles from Linden). A 4-room hostel accommodating eight students is currently operated by a church. Students pay $2000 per term. The church offered to give the hostel to the Department of Education (DOE) which did not take up the offer. The Regional Administration and the DOE are constructing a hostel for approximately 25 children from Mabura in Amelia's Ward. If more facilities were available, more Amerindian children would attend GSS.
Socioeconomic barriers and consequences. The incidence of teenage pregnancy in Linden is high. One reason advanced for this is that school-aged girls form liaisons to have financial needs which cannot be met by their parents taken care of by their partners. As a consequence a number of girls leave school before completing secondary education. Young boys particularly from poorer homes also drop out of school for financial reasons. Some work whenever they can find employment while others are involved in criminal activities. Some would like the opportunity to return to the formal or non-formal education system, recognizing that there is some value in education and training. One member of the focus group in Victory Valley left the PT after Form 3. What was striking about him was the anger at the system which had denied him an opportunity to go further and his lack of preparedness for life. The drop out rate in Linden is relatively low. The school population is appears to be growing, this being a reflection of the growth of the population in general. It was observed that as children become adults, many are forming their own households moving to the squatting areas, if necessary, and to areas such as Amelia's Ward. With this, comes a greater demand on the educational system. Some parents and guardians, presumably a small amount, do not know or follow the procedures to facilitate students' enrolment at different levels of the educational system. In some cases, children are not registered at birth and therefore cannot have automatic access to school. Because the procedure for late registration seems too long, these children may be kept out of school. In another instance, a gid was eligible to attend a GSS upon completion of the SSPE Part 1 but her grandmother was not able to go to the Department of Education to have the transfer effected.
Several factors relating to perceptions of quality of education emerged during the Linden community consultation:
Quality of teachers and teaching. Respondents offered both positive and negative views about the quality of teachers. More persons were concerned about the youthfulness of many teachers and the consequent behaviours. They felt that young teachers are impatient, have limited knowledge and are in need of training. They felt that the fact that many persons join the teaching profession as soon as they leave school means that they are not well equipped to teach. One woman, however, said that she thought the young teacher gets through to children better than the older teacher. Another pointed out that some trained teachers use poor grammar and lack exemplary handwriting. A middle-aged father of three who is self-employed was very clear about his dissatisfaction with the education system and teachers' roles in it. He also shared his vision for education (see box below).
The education system seems like it is only a big name and the children can't understand what is being taught. When they are 30, they still can't read and write a proper letter. The government is biting off more than it is able with. Things have changed and technology is important but Guyana is fooling around and punishing the children, only wasting time. If the teachers had understood what they had learnt in school, they would have been able to teach and cope with the children but they themselves don't know, so what can they tell others. The government should bring back the old time system. It a shame. They're ashamed that' why they behave the way they do. The first thing government has to do is pay teacher real money. It is not fair for them to teach somebody, then they come and are working for more than the teachers are. Then they have to get teachers who love teaching not want it as a stop-gap. There are so many things wrong. There is no respect. Teachers are young and forget themselves, some because of their home background. Whenever people are given a teaching job, the Headteacher should train them to speak and deal with people. Government should put more skills in school and every child should learn them. He did them at school and that's why he can do anything. Today the teacher is not a school teacher but a "subject teacher." We need a big knowledge sharing school so poor people can go day or night. Government must pay teachers or people who want to share their knowledge.
Teacher behaviour and attitudes. Participants expressed many concerns about the behaviour and attitude of teachers as well as their relationship with children. Again, young teachers came in for much attention. In addition to being impatient, some persons felt that young teachers are "piggish and demanding" and "beat and insult the children." Among the practices which are considered unacceptable are the tendency to refer children's families in an insulting manner. A Form 3 PT boy, for example, said that he does not like how teachers talk to children. They tell them about their families in front of other children and if they cannot understand what is being taught, the teachers insult them. Children also lamented the fact that they do not always have teachers for their classes. Another concern is that children stand in the sun and dust twice a day for assembly while teachers are in the cool. Yet others included the fact that some teachers, both male and female, "hustle" students, that children have to buy snacks from teachers thus subsidizing the teachers' salaries, teachers label children and that teachers ill-treat children when they are late for school. Teachers also reflected on their performance and that of their peers. They felt that there is need for greater respect for teachers but also that some teachers are not pulling their weight.
Celia is a trained teacher who began teaching at age 15. She loves teaching and says that she does her best. She finds it hard and feels that teachers are treated badly. They are not respected by anybody. She has a job to do and does it. She encounters children with all kinds of problems but she remains cool. Sometimes she feels down, especially when she has to work to the 36th and 38th of the month, that's when salaries are received some time during the following month. She feels that children can be helped more. She can see the need which some of them have. Some of the children are very poor.
Ralph, a young GSS teacher, enjoys his work. He doesn't have a problem with the students but he feels some teachers create problems with students. They put on a big boss and little man style. He doesn't see teaching in that way. He believes that we are all human and a person must be treated that way. He feels that the young need to be encouraged to take up their rightful place in society. For him, education is life because we cannot live without it and it curtails poverty.
Student behaviour and attitudes. The SSEE and the process leading up to it are important elements of the life of primary school children. Unfortunately, the pressure faced by many children affects their behaviour in GSS. Some people feel that children relax after the examination while others feel that they suffer from burnout when they are in first and second form. In any event the result is that some children fail to perform to the expected level after they enter GSS. Many participants expressed concern about the behaviour of children generally and the way in which they approach education currently. A number referred to how things were in their day and felt that some of the old norms and practices would be useful today. Some children are negatively influenced by friends and others in the community as well as circumstances at home. Some of the issues of concern to adults are that:
An Amerindian housewife observed that children in the One Mile Squatting area visit school, attending sometimes twice per week. According to her, many children from this community drop out of school. Assistance from persons living overseas is considered to be one of the reasons why the value of education has declined for children. A building contractor said that he is sorry that so many people are surviving on foreign help because this makes the youth very lazy. They just sit and throw back, waiting for foreign help. Because of this, they refuse to take orders from elders and teachers. They need long ago training. He said that children must be trained to respect teachers before entering high school. Despite feeling some despair about children's behaviour and attitudes, some participants still felt some hope for the children's future.
An 82-year-old man who has been actively involved in rearing his grandchildren feels that poverty is a crime and has led children turn to drugs and crime. Children today lack the basics of life and have lost their way. He believes that one can be poor but still be respected but children these days think money is God. They should be taught more about God. He feels that we can still save the children. He talks with them because, in his day, children used to form groups. The parents of his generation could not pay for school but they educated themselves in various ways and failure never caught any of them. He believes that these children are progressive in certain ways, like becoming warriors of crime.
Role of parents and parental expectations. Parents expect the school to be staffed by persons who know how to relate to and motive children. They acknowledged that some teachers work with the children's interests in mind while other fail to attend to the children's personal and learning needs. For example, in some instances, children's books are not marked by the teachers. While some parents do check on this and assist in whatever way they can, others are unaware of what their children are experiencing in school. Not all parents are supportive of their children or the school/teachers. Some, it was felt don't know what their role is. A social worker thought that parents don't have much education themselves so they can't help their children. The parents are not cooperative and are reluctant to get involved. Parents are on the teachers' backs if the teachers beat the children. Parents were seen as being very important to their children's development. Some of the perspectives of parents were:
Availability of learning materials. The availability of text books as well as reference material such as dictionaries and encyclopedia for use by children and their parents was another issue raised. Many schools may have class sets and so are unable to provide children with individual texts. For some parents, text books are too expensive and therefore, the children are at a disadvantage. One mother said that she photocopied a text book although it was expensive because she wanted to improve her child's chance of success. Another mother noted that the standard of education has dropped and that she is trying with child; for her, it is important for others to try with their children.
Physical plant condition. Schools in Linden are affected by the dust from the bauxite company, some more so that others. Silver City GSS is particularly affected by the environment with the building having deteriorated rapidly in its short life; in fact, mesh used for security has corroded, the floor has rotted in some areas and erosion has occurred around the school. Some children have been absent from school because of asthma while others have been sent to Georgetown for medical attention and to attend school. One PT was without water and proper toilet facilities during the mission. Parents led a picket to the Regional Office since the school had been sending children home at IO or 1 1 am from the time the problem occurred and, despite reports to the authorities, no relief was forthcoming. Linden Foundation currently functions in two rented building which are not suited for its programme. Facilities are limited and hazardous; despite this the staff appears committed to educating the children. Mackenzie High and Wismar-Christianburg Multilateral schools are both in better condition than the other two schools. Both, however, need improvement in specific areas such as laboratories (equipment and supplies), effective space management, both indoor and outdoor.
The following issues concerning the perceived relevance of the existing education system emerged during the community consultation in Linden:
Value of education. A striking result of the consultation process is an understanding of the high value placed on getting an education. The importance of education was repeated time and time again. It was pointed out that children travel far because they want quality education; therefore, all schools should be upgraded to satisfy this desire. What is now questioned in Linden and, in a way, presents a contradiction, is what use is education in the life plan of the young. The low drop out rate in GSS in Linden attests to the value placed on staying in school. The opportunity to write the CXC is important to children and their parents but they do have a desire for the children to be gainfully employed at the end of the process. It appears that the decrease in job opportunities in the formal sector in Linden has not been paralleled by an increase in self-employment nor employment in the informal sector. As a consequence, a number of persons who have passes at CXC are not in a position to progress as they would like. This has caused some people to question the value education (see Box 15). Retention levels, and the total proportion of students, at PT were notably higher than in Corriverton, suggesting that the present binary system at least holds more relevance for primary stakeholders, in particular for the poorest, than it does in Corriverton. A focus group of young men from the marginalised squatter settlement of Victory Valley analysed the progression of a hypothetical cohort of 100 Victory Valley boys from nursery school (see Figure 6). Of the 75 boys that fail the SSEE, almost three-quarters are sufficiently motivated to stay in PT for a further three years to take the SSPE Part 1. In contrast in Corriverton, one head teacher was allowing her PT students to sit the SSPE Part 1 early because she knew she couldn't retain them for the three years.
Joseph who didn't pass the SSPE Part 1 works in a logging company and claims he is a jack-of-all-trades. He knows a little carpentry, masonry and other trades. At first, he thought education was important because it enabled you to get good jobs. Now he doesn't think so anymore because those who have a lot of subjects aren't getting the jobs they need.
Desmond, a Rasta who dropped of a PT at Form 3, observed that the system wants you to jump fence because you have a certificate and still you can't get a job. He said that people pay too much for education and education doesn't pay them back.
Programme content. That education is more than academics was expressed forcefully. An academic programme should be coupled with technical-vocational subjects because not all children will do well at academics but also because some would prefer to explore other avenues (see Box 16). The school was also seen as a place which should prepare children for living a socially responsible life. Recognizing the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and the increasing influence of drugs in Linden, persons recommended that the curriculum should also address sexuality including teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. It should also be expanded to "feed them the facts of life," and provide exposure in areas such as music, life skills, mountaineering and outdoor life. Educational opportunities in Linden should also address issues such as male responsibility, literacy training for post-primary children and inculcating of the habit of reading. One PT plans to develop its technical-vocational programme for its students. Working with its Old Students Association and friends, it is acquiring equipment such as stoves and computers as a means of encouraging children to stay in school. In fact, some children who have already left school have expressed a desire to could return when the programme gets started. This is evidence that an interest exists, even among poorer students, to acquire increase knowledge and skills to improve their life chances.
Removal of PT. The removal of the PT was generally welcomed in Linden. It was seen as opening up opportunities for children who would otherwise be let loose on the streets with little or no skills, a poor self-esteem and a bleak future (see Box 17). Some parents were concerned that removal of the PTs would lead to a decline in overall student performance. One parent did point out that, in the case of the Watooka Primary School, a discrete primary school which is considered the premier one in Linden, once poorer children entered the school, they took a different view to education, became more interested and performed creditably. Headteachers of PTs expressed some concerns about the proposal. Their main one was that this change would affect the grade of the school since grading is dependent of the number of students enrolled. It also affects the staff size and composition.
According to a school child, a person isn't dunce but just differently able therefore people must be given a chance. Sometimes a person kills him/herself to get academics but doesn't feel good in an office and would rather work in a pump station. That person must be free to choose his/her job and be happy.
For a mother of 3, there is need for a school that equips children with both trade skills and academics because not every person can achieve everything. Even if a child is 20 years old and wants to write the CXC, he/she should be allowed to do so. The time period of schooling should be drawn out, just like at the University of Guyana. This opportunity would help this generation.
A young man started working from age 13 because he could not cope with school work. He knows that education is good but if your brains can't take what they are teaching in school, why waste time? You should find something more worthwhile. They should put things in school that you can go and do when you fall down in school. Plenty children would have known to do something if the school had done that. If you can do something with your hands, you can still live.
Sita is a 17-year-old girl who transferred to Mackenzie High, having passed SSPE Part 1; she was placed in Form 3. Taking out the PT is a good idea because the children have nothing to do after Form 4 of PT. Out of a class of about 45, only 5 students were successful at SSPE Part 1 and went to GSS. If it weren't for SIMAP and its training programmes, children would be lost on the streets. Children who fail SSPE Part I have nothing to do after school. A lot of them end up doing bad things like drugs and stealing. There is a high drop out rate due to teenage pregnancy.