Reform early childhood education now, urges Seaga

Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga has again called for urgent reform of early childhood education, stating that an educated population is as important to the country’s economic development as electricity.

Seaga described Jamaica’s early childhood education system, in which he says only one-third of youngsters are being properly educated up to grade two, as “sinful” and said it needs to be restructured if Jamaica is to reach its full potential in the next 50 years.

“Any country without electricity is doomed because virtually all useful devices work with power; any country without full literacy and numeracy is doomed because virtually everyone works with knowledge. We are intolerant of electrical blackouts, but we are tolerant when minds are shut down in the mental blackouts of illiteracy,” Seaga stated on Monday afternoon.

He was delivering the University of Technology’s (UTech) 25th anniversary lecture at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

Speaking on the topic ‘Fifty years backward or forward?’, Seaga — who is chancellor of UTech and the last surviving member of the legislature that drafted Jamaica’s Constitution — said Jamaica’s 50 years of Independence is marked by more opportunities being lost than gained because of the failure of political leaders to agree on a set of policies and principles.

“Jamaica’s misfortune is that policy makers have no agreed set of policies and principles on which to devise sustainable strategies which can pass the baton successfully from one runner to the next with smooth continuity. Hence the result of the relay is a non-productive path of batons that are fumbled and dropped and runners who take two steps forward and two steps backward,” Seaga said.

Commenting on the cost to the reform the early childhood education sector, Seaga said he was advised that it would cost $7 billion to lift 90 per cent of all primary school entrants to a level that they reach the same level of literacy and numeracy by grade two.

“I would have preferred to see the educational system restructured to give every child the opportunity of a successful start than to have $8 billion spent on Cricket World Cup or unnecessarily renovating the Palisadoes Road,” Seaga said.

Responding to questions after the lecture, Seaga, who was member of parliament for West Kingston for 43 years — longest serving MP in Jamaica’s history, said he was not surprised by the police operation in Denham Town in the constituency last week Monday, which resulted in the deaths of six people, including a 13-year-old girl and two elderly men.

“That (West Kingston) has been the police target area for a long time,” Seaga added. “Not only politics, we have moved backward in crime and justice too.”

Police said three men who were wanted for various crimes were killed in what they said was a gun battle and firearms recovered.

Seaga, who is credited with leading the development of institutions such as the Jamaica Stock Exchange, JAMPRO and HEART NTA, also said “it has taken too long to decide” on the type of fuel to be used to generate electricity and expressed hope that a decision will be made on the matter soon.

He said he was “very heartened” by the role of civil society groups focusing on issues such as justice, the environment and social issues.

He said the return of the body of National Hero Marcus Garvey to Jamaica was his greatest cultural achievement because Garvey “used black nationalism in a positive way to change racial discrimination” and build on the pride and character of the people.

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