Kent Manno
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
A recent commentary in the Nassau Guardian faults the education system for the increase in crime in The Bahamas. In addition, there is some alarming information detailing the drop in the number of males graduating. As with any issue, there are some inherent problems that need to be pointed out.
Before independence, literacy was not used as the main focus for developing a Bahamian identity. Rather, the oral tradition remained deeply rooted in society. Yet even though literacy may not have been used, The Bahamas was still able to create a sense of national unity. However, at the time of independence, the government did not see the need to promote a large scale literacy campaign. Perhaps we are now reaping the impact with the increase in crime.
Communication certainly creates some issues when attempting to organize and manage a unified educational system. Communicating with some of the family islands can be a challenge. Print media, often delivered by mail boat, is often late and out of date. Perhaps access to the Internet can help solve this problem.
Lastly, for those who make their living by seafaring or agriculture, obtaining a level of literacy is both expensive and irrelevant. Their major focus is on the skills that were handed down to them via the oral tradition. In many respects, this is very similar to the lives of the peasants in France prior to the French Revolution.
Clearly, if The Bahamas wants to have a literate population that can survive and be positive contributors to the new global world( and of course to The Bahamas), the education system needs some tweaking. It would also seem that young men need some educated role models to stand up and promote the benefits of having an education.
This will not be an easy task and may take years to implement. There might even be some who will protest the cost as it will add to their tax bill. I would only hope that before protesting people examine the benefit to the nation. Is it not something that any government or society would want to have as a legacy?
