There has been a very important debate around Dominica and The Caribbean on the subject of how best to solve the problem of deviance and academic underachievement among our primary and secondary school students. These two major problems seem to be most evident among our boys.
Firstly, there is solid evidence documented in the official files of our Ministry of Education and other official files in the offices of principals, vice principals and school counselors in Dominica which clearly demonstrates how serious this problem is. Further, The 2006 OECS Report on the causes and solutions to the problem of indiscipline and violence at our schools has put forward solutions which we urgently need to implement at all our primary and secondary schools. As parents, teachers, principals, counselors and education officers ,we should therefore not be in any doubt as to the seriousness of these problems. Further, we know very well what the major causes, effects and solutions to these problems are; therefore, we all know all to well that another inquiry or investigation will not solve these problems.
It is very clear, even to the blind, that what we need to do immediately is to appoint the right persons who are professionally trained disciplinarians of solid character and moral fiber to manage those primary and secondary schools which are underachieving academically and have become breeding grounds for criminals ! Too many of our parents, teachers, school administrators, counselors and officials continue to pamper criminal behaviours in some students. Then, they seem shocked when these behaviours grow and explode into tragic incidents.
Secondly, all our teachers, principals ,vice principals and heads of department need to set and implement much higher standards of discipline and academic achievement at all our primary and secondary schools. We have enough information; what we need is sound leadership and action at every level of education, starting at the home and school!
Also, we need to impose a greater level of God given responsibility and accountability on parents and students themselves for achieving excellence. We demand much too little of our parents and students for taking charge of the learning and disciplining of their children. Now we are experiencing the brutal consequences of parental neglect and lack of accountability at home. Our media houses and churches need to be part of this urgent struggle to ensure that parents take charge of their home and children daily!
On the very serious question of the increase in cases of homosexuality and lesbianism within our schools and society at large; God’s Holy Word, The Holy Bible, has very clearly given The Almighty God’s final verdict on this matter; and the words God’s Holy Bible uses are “an abomination unto God !”.
These are very strong and serious words indeed which should never be treated lightly by our education officials or anyone of us. There is a very serious need for professional Psychological Counseling , abundant prayers for healing and spiritual help for any of our students, teachers, principals and others within our schools and education system , and society at large, who have this issue. Our churches need to speak out strongly on this issue and play their rightful role as spiritual authorities for the good of our society.
It must be absolutely clear to us all that the problems of deviance and academic underachievement must be confronted and solved at home and within the individual school. This takes very hard and stubborn work daily with God’s help. The key stakeholders are our parents, teachers, principals, vice principals and students themselves. We are the ones responsible for solving these problems on a daily basis. This is where the solution must be found!!
Also, each school must have a strategic management and development plan which focuses on dealing with and solving all issues of discipline, classroom management, academic and technical performance, security and other operational matters. Our mothers ,fathers, grand parents, aunts ,uncles and other family members are the persons who must first educate ,discipline and nurture each child in Godly love at home. The family is the first school. We need to restore this basic principle in education. Further, each school must have the required expertise within the school management and staff to develop, put into operation and evaluate the school’s strategic management and development plan and to implement solutions.
Finally, it must be clearly understood that no one researcher or investigator, even as a trained expert, can solve the problems of deviance and underachievement at our schools. The critical areas where The Ministry of Education needs to continue to invest to facilitate success in education are as follows. Please let us continue to invest much more in:
1) Increasing substantially the number of training opportunities for our teachers, lecturers, vice principals and principals at The Bachelors, Masters and Phd levels in a wide area of specialties to include the academic ,technical and vocational subject areas. This will ensure that all our pre-schools, primary and secondary school teachers and lecturers are professionally trained and qualified to teach before they enter the teaching service.
2) Employ many more male teachers so as to ensure that every primary and secondary school has equal numbers of male and female teachers. This would go a very long way in improving the level of discipline. Also, it would provide both our male and female students with more positive male role models. Many of our students have no positive male role models at home.
3) There needs to be a rapid increase in the number of technical and vocational subjects offered within all our primary and secondary schools as well as at the Dominica State College – subjects such as woodwork and furniture making, auto mechanic, industrial sewing, plumbing, building construction and technical drawing, metal work and welding, music and fine arts; just to mention a few. These subjects also need to be taught to teachers at the Faculty of Education of The Dominica State College, together with the regular courses in Social Studies, English, Mathematics and Natural Science.
4) Our schools as well as urban, suburban and rural communities and village councils need to improved physical education and recreational facilities and family education programs to facilitate the physical, recreational and social development of our youth and adults alike. All media houses , musicians ,especially calypsonians and other artists, the churches and other NGO’s have an equally important role to play in finding solutions to the above problem. Our students , all youth and adults need healthy and positive recreational outlets for their energies.
5) We as a society need to demand that parents play our rightful roles of properly socializing and disciplining our children at home. This must be legally enforced! The school must never be asked to take up the parental role of being the first teachers of our children. The home is the first school and this basic fact must be enacted and enforced in a revised Education Act. The present Education Act needs to be strengthened to focus on these areas of parental responsibility.
6) Our School principals and vice principals must be more carefully selected and trained to better manage schools on a daily basis. Also, many more teachers, particularly Social Studies Teachers need to be trained as Counselors and Social Workers so as to better assist principals and parents to manage deviant students.
7) Finally, we as a nation need to take firm and immediate action to remodel our system of education on those of Singapore, Canada, Barbados, Cuba, Germany, China and India, so that we can learn from some of the World’s best practices and successful models of nations who have used education to reshape, redevelop and prosper their societies.
This is certainly not the time of reinventing the wheel and having time-consuming investigations which will only further complicate an already serious problem at our schools. The simple fact is that the major problems of deviance and student underachievement must always be managed, solved, or prevented at the foundational levels of the home and the specific school because this the source or origin of the problem. Let us talk less and act more. Loving, caring but firm and decisive discipline at home and schools is what students understand and respond to positively. This is particularly true of our boys; as well as our girls! Our families and schools should therefore ensure that the buck stops with them in solving the problem of deviance and underachievement among our students.
This article was posted in its entirety as received by dominicanewsonline.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical errors in commentaries or press releases. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of dominicanewsonline.com or its advertisers.
Wow datz gud
I am not sure if we should shy away from commenting on homosexuality and lesbianism; within the confines of a democratic state; because some persons find it too touchy.
Even as we respect everyone’s personal lifestyle; This does not mean that we have to agree with their choices.
And there seem to be some readers who seem offended at the mention of the word Almighty God.
Have we come to the sad point in our existence that we wish to abolish God? Are we at the point where anything goes?
While we should respect everyone ; there are spiritual values which are eternally true ,no matter what any person thinks. One of those eternal principles by which we all will one good day be judged is that a woman was made for a man.
We should never come to the point in our society when ; because we think some people ;for what ever reason will be offended. Respect everyone ;but speak truth candidly for the good of society.
Mr. Gordon though you are an intelligent man i see a clear contradiction… Dominica must hold it self to the standard of Canada, Germany, Singapore and Barbados? All countries who put reason before religious hoohahh which to be honest you are not doing in this piece. As soon as Dominica realizes that there gays are not the problem with the world ,find and deal with the solid problems these plans cannot be dealt with. Who cares if the young lady is a lesbian as long as she is competent in Mathematics and language, Who cares if the boy likes other boys if he is a skilled mechanic.. Cuba India and china have no direct policies towards homosexuality in fact China and india have very interesting philosophies towards homosexuals in a society. Maybe these countries lack of ignorance in this area has help with creating a harmonious school system.. So I advise you to think before you start throwing around the bible verses.
1. pay teachers commensurate with experience, and establish clearly defined goals, teachers under par should be removed. Ministry should be checking this based upon assessments, instead of having assessments written by heads (with favourites) which are immediately binned.
2.abolish the “everyone passes” nonsense and hold children back till they are capable of passing.
3.open some of the empty schools as specialist trade schools, electrical, automotive, woodwork,plumbing etc.
4. create schools for problem cases with suitably trained staff. having children in class with ADD and parents who refuse to medicate does no one in the class any good.
I agree with 3 and a half of Nudibranch’s points, but having seen what is happening abroad, I wouldn’t recommend medicating children with ADD. Not everyone is academic and being forced to do academic work when you have little ability and/or no inclination is a recipe for poor behaviour. If Point 3 (opening trade schools) were to be adopted, I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of children with ADD didn’t drop quite substantially.
Boys who are not academic face a very dispiriting future in this country. There simply isn’t enough work to go round. I am sure this must be a contributing factor to the poor behaviour.
I am surprised that Dominica’s government doesn’t try to encourage more factories to open here. A very simple way to do this would be to charge manufacturing industries a lower rate for electricty, so that they pay the same or less than other Caribbean countries. As a relative newcomer to the island, I don’t understand why this country has some of the most expensive electricity in the world, when you have so much hydro. Can someone explain it to me please.
You know I’m 13 and lots of old people say that our generation is deviant and whatever … but you forgot who raised it. Think about that.
Perhaps it’s time to look seriously at the way our families are structured. The example set by “Mom and Dad” is crucial to the way children view their place in the system. Are boys getting a lesson in the importance of learning from their fathers, or a lesson in how to survive on “the road”? Are girls learning the value of making healthy choices for themselves? What about reading – are MOST parents showing their children that reading is vital to their intellectual growth? Is “beating” a synonim for discipline? Is self-discipline encouraged and modeled at home or is there an abundance of cursing, yelling, threatening and physical punishments? It has been said that “The best thing a father can do for his children, is to love their mother”. Are the men in our society taught that it is “soft” to love and show it? Do most of our families consist of a mother and a father raising their children together with love and respect for them and each other? The educational system in Dominica cannot succeed if most of the students come from homes lacking in basic human dignity and integrity. It is NOT up to the schools, it is up to the people giving birth to the students to instill in them a truthful vision that honors the divinity in each of them. Shame and fear are poor motivators. It’s time to take a serious look at our style and adjust it to be in accord with all the teachings available to us and stop whining about how the government isn’t taking proper care of us. Emancipate ourselves from mental slavery and grow into the glorious people we were created to be. Parents, or the lack of parents, are the cause of education’s mediocre place in our student’s lives. You cannot “make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”, as the old saying goes. If you read and believe the Bible, pay attention to ALL of it, not just the sections that forgive immoral behaviour. And remember that to be “fruitful and multiply” was said when there were two people on the earth – keep it in the proper context for today. If parents value their own ongoing education and love each other their children will do the same…usually.
“Interesting article”. I hate this constant call for discipline – and why say that male teachers are able to discipline better? At school, I see children being “disciplined” by male and female teachers with a switch on the backside. Does anyone, in this day and age, really think that this improves a child’s behaviour or learning? I certainly do not.
Could the beating of a child on his bottom by a male teacher not be sending mixed signals to pre-adolescent boys??? Give me red arrows if you like, but do your research first. All of you on this post have the internet.
I teach children and I get excellent results. I have never raised a hand to a child in school and never will. Beating a child is an act of violence. Children are being taught that violence is acceptable – even big and strong against small and vulnerable – and this is reflected in the way they play together.
Being good and learning well is something that is easy to encourage. It needs to come from the heart, though, not from a fear of retribution if you fail.
There are many, many things wrong with the education system here – especially in the villages – and there are some gifted children who will never reach their full potential…and that is a great shame.
Among the things that are needed are many more teachers, children who are slow learners given more attention, children who are not able to fully learn being kept apart from the good learners, better and more modern teaching facilities, more classes in the arts and sciences, after school clubs, better trained teachers with the resources to do a good job, stimulating and enjoyable teaching materials, well maintained schools and grounds, more parental participation, accountability from parents……
….and action groups that actually take action.
Well put together article. However G this deviance and ill discipline stems from where children’s values are placed. The youngsters glorify criminals and drug dealers because to them these are where opportunities to amass wealth, status and opportunities lie. We have given up on providing meaningful employment opportunity for our educated. They hold masters and doctorates and walk the streets unable to afford a decent vehicle or house while these criminals have several. These boys hear of the exploits of politicians and upper and middle level managers who for a job or scholarship opportunity use sexual favors to create an unfair playing field. Moreover, the government speak of attracting more males into teaching whats so attractive the gay principals, the vindictive female principals and education officers or the insignificant salaries which leaves them trapped in poverty where buying a black berry requires 4 months of living on borderline starvation. This will only change when boys see their fathers meaningfully employed with earning power that can make them take care of their homes. Still we wait and become more and m
Mr. Gordon is thinking outside the box, and this is what we need in this country. We cannot be confined in our comfort zones while the society crumbles. Action plans must supersede mere talk and daily politics. Great piece.
First, off a major contributor to the social ills of Dominica is our failure to end our monologues with calls to action. Mr. Gordon states “Let us talk less and act more.” To that end, this would have been an excellent moment to announce a few “action committees” or counsels that the parents, students, media workers, etc. could participate in. Perhaps set out 1-3 clear targets for communities/schools/etc. to achieve in the next year or so.
As a leader, you actually have to lead by laying out the tools, showing the steps, etc. for your constituents to act effectively. I propose you review your article with a few community members and issue an update with a framework that calls people to get involved with a road map on how they can.
I’ll end by quoting from a recent commentary by Dr. Franklin Johnston:
The colour of homophobia: The 44 Commonwealth countries in which homosexuality is illegal are black, poor, very religious, mainly illiterate, violent and mostly corrupt. Is this conundrum a coincidence? Does God have a sense of humour? Stay conscious, my friend!
Bravo.you beat me to it. My sentiments exactly. A little less diatribe and more action mr gordon
Excellent response to this article. I too am seeing another monologue on what is wrong with the system, but absolutely no action plan whatsoever.
Also, why all this calling for “discipline/disciplinarians” – why not a call for talented teachers who are able to inspire children to learn?
Mr. Gordon,you are right, we do have serious problems with our school education but may be we could start by getting the teachers and staff themselves to adhere to the discipline and order they want to instill in their charges. We demand a school uniform and tidy appearance from our pupils. ….are our teachers compliant themselves? Why, for instance should a teacher not wear some kind of school uniform also, and do so with pride? We insist they observe time schedules…are our teachers setting an example?
Pupils must not use derogatory or foul language or settle disputes physically. Again, where are our teachers in this? It is neigh impossible to imbue students with virtues that are flouted by their teachers and part-custodians. No amount of bible bashing is a substitute for setting good, practical examples , which the teaching profession must demonstrate in the first place.
Good article. I am particularly concerned about the number of male teachers at both our primary and secondary schools. I have nothing against female teachers (don’t jump on me please females), but i believe that our male students need the male figures to model on (the good ones). At the secondary level we have a lot of weak female principals, many of them are only strong with their mouths, but the schools they govern are teetering on the brink… They sit too much on their butts and don’t even know what is happening around the school,they are oblivious to what discipline and good behaviour can add to ones life… SHAME ON THEM!
i m female, let s get that clear right away. sad to say but i can pinpoint only a few good male role models in the secondary school in particular. Mr Gordon doesn t have to go very far in his district to see the negative male role models in the school system.
How ironic. This hyper-religious attitude needs to stop, Mr. Gordon. You may be extremely religious and think gays deserve to be put to death, but hey, news flash: not everyone agrees with you, not even in Dominica. Most educated people across the world would NOT agree with such hateful, narrow-minded statements. Homosexuality is not a mental disorder; the only need for counselors is if a gay person is depressed or contemplating suicide due to his being attacked by articles like yours.
Now, I agree that there are serious problems at the schools in other areas, including violence and a lack of interest in schoolwork. This is undeniable and is a trend we must work to change. However, if you wish to be taken seriously by anyone who has read a bit more than the bible (assuming you have even fully read the book yourself in an adequate translation), you must use more secular methods. Attacking gay school children and demonizing them as mentally unfit is unacceptable for an adult speaking of education to do, and you will be no more than a sad pontificating embarrassment from the Dark Ages until you do.
Please go educate yourself, Gordon.
Ah, my comment has been edited, so my “how ironic” now seems out of place. How silly of me to think I could question Mr. Gordon’s academic credentials without being censured.
well said.
You’ve written a great, poignant, and useful piece! In addition, your outline points are very helpful, of course, if ever they are put to use; I especially like your number 2 and 5. I am a firm believer in the saying; “everything starts at home,” and it should; children display what they have learned or not learned in their homes. I’m aware that we are fallible, but with the direction our system is going; we need more focus on quality, or like you said, “Let us talk less and act more.” Both parents and teachers are responsible for the children they nurture, and together w/ some strident rules, both can make make a profound impact in our children’s lives.
Well said Mr. Gordon. Always respect you as an academia who is well qualified in your field. I had the opportunity to interact with you when my son was attending the Goodwill Secondary School. I hope this article can reach our educational technocrats so that some of these great ideas can be implemented in order to bring some changes in our education system.
You respect him as an academia?? clearly you also are an academia….