Where does the primary responsibility for the education of the children of Jamaica lie? Parents, Teachers or the State? I am disturbed by the narrow framework within which this discussion is occurring.  Unless we understand what and how each side should contribute to the process, we could be pursuing policies that are working at cross purposes with each other. The data is now quite clear; how far you will go in life is directly related to how far you go in school. I know that there are always exceptions to this rule, but the exceptions also serve to prove the rule. Pre-school education ignites the passion, primary education establishes the critical foundation, secondary education introduces various aspects of critical thinking but the tertiary level is now more important with the advent of a knowledge-based global economy.

The Economic Value of Education
Observing the US economy, we can see that between 1929 and 1998 per capita output of their economy grew by 240 percent. The increase in the educational level of the workforce is often credited for most of this growth. This data base shows that most Americans  who were born between 1886 and 1905 did not attend school beyond the 8th grade and only 22 percent graduated from high school, with 10 percent going on to college. This is about where we are today in Jamaica, 100 years later.

In the US, 61% of those born between 1916 and 1935 graduated from high school, and 22% went on to college, though many did not complete the four years. The majority of people born between 1944 and 1963 not only graduated from high school but attended college as well: 87 percent finished high school, and 27 percent college. These facts help explain why the USA leads the world today in educational attainment as well per capita income (with the exception of tiny Luxembourg).

Now other industrialized countries are catching up. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, five (5) countries now slightly exceed America in the percentage of 25-34 year olds who have completed secondary school. They are Norway, South Korea, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Consistently, workers with more education tend to make more money. During the next century, tertiary education will become increasingly important for landing high-paying jobs. (Washington Research Council, 1999) But for the foreseeable future, many good jobs will require no formal schooling beyond a solid high school education. This level of education will still serve to make persons trainable allowing them to attain a broad variety of skills. But the individual’s level of success will still be based of his/her attitudes that have developed from the broad aspects of his/her socialization.

Back To School Woes

I expect to hear calls to the talk shows this week as some parents call in to request help in sending their children back to school. How many of these parents had a great time and spent much of their resources on holiday entertainment and conspicuous consumption? I have very little sympathy for the parents who made those choices. I believe that it is the primary responsibility of parents to feed, clothe, shelter and educate their children. This is a fact of life. Why do we not constantly and consistently socialize our children and hold parents accountable towards this reality? This is 2006. Pregnancy, unless precipitated by rape, is based on a decision to have unprotected sex.  It is said that once can be considered an accident but twice is on purpose. Many Jamaican parents do not see their children’s education as their priority or responsibility. 

There tends to be an inverse relationship between the age of the child and the level of parental participation in the educational process. The largest numbers of parents turn up to register the children to start school and to accompany them on the first day. The numbers decline when we examine those parents who ensure that children have all the resources required for full and active participation in the educational process. We see a further decline when we examine those who make the time to actively supervise homework. Still a smaller number regularly attend PTA meetings and remain in contact with their child’s teacher. Many only visit the school again if and when they receive a letter stating that the child will not be allowed to return to school without the parent.

The Caribbean Study
In the mid 1980s while I served as Research Fellow in Child Development at the University of the West Indies, I conducted a study examining the forces that best predicted the performance of children in Grade One. We collected data in Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados and St. Kitts. We assessed the basic skills of over 2,000 children at their schools. We also visited their homes and interviewed their parents. The third component of the study was to visit the preschools from which these children came and evaluate the level of stimulation provided. The results indicated that the best predictor of the child’s performance was parent’s attitude towards education. This was less important than the quality of stimulation provided by the preschool of the Grade One class. Parents who valued education tended to chose better educational environments and actively participated in their child’s education. We also found that children who were enrolled in stimulating schools but who did not have the parental support and reinforcement did not do as well.

Failure is Not an Option
Jamaicans must become smarter if we are to improve the quality of life in all aspects; body, mind and spirit. People who know how to reason and have better problem solving skills are less driven to resolve disputes by violent and oftentimes deadly means.  They will also be better able to adapt and change and benefit from the new opportunities that are on the horizon. This process must be parent driven. Mothers and fathers who value education will elect governments that pursue educational policies that have long term value, not just political campaign gimmicks.  Fathers and mothers who actively accept their responsibilities as parents will better play their roles as socializing agents so that teacher can spend less time instilling and maintaining discipline, thus having more time for the educational process.  We need to actively teach and promote good parenting and also be willing to punish those fathers and mothers who abdicate their responsibilities. Government policies must ensure that every child under the age of 16 is in a learning environment acquiring knowledge and skills so that they can become productive members of the society. Education is our best chance.