Devon DickTHE MAJOR problem with the Prime Minister's reshuffled Cabinet is the about-face on the necessity of having both a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Ministry of Foreign Trade. In September 2001, the chief servant of the nation said that both ministries are needed. He even went further to say that Guyana was now following his lead. He has now recombined them and it needs some explanation for this Damascus Road-like conversion.
It needs some light. What is clear is that the dropping of two senior Cabinet members to allow them to concentrate on the PNP's election campaign means that we are in election mode and civil society needs to use the opportunity to influence the manifestos of the political parties. Non-governmental organisations should support political parties that endorse its ideas. I would support a political party that establishes a National Education Trust (NET). This should be modelled after the very successful National Housing Trust. The National Education Trust would manage the taxes garnered from the Education Tax in addition to a subvention from the government that would make the total income be 25% of the Gross Domestic Product. Further contributions could come from churches and other groups.
Governments since Independence on the average have spent 14% of GDP on education, which is inadequate. Developed countries spend on an average 25% of GDP on education. Leading education advocate Professor Errol Miller said that in the 1980s when the Education Tax was implemented he advocated that the government spends the Education Tax on education only. All government Senators voted against education tax being exclusively for that provision. Things have not changed much since then.
The educational system is faced with some challenges, which might be helped by forming a National Education Trust. Some of the challenges facing education of our children are the inadequate enrolment and attendance of students. In 1999 attendance at schools was 68% of those who enrolled while the enrolment was 73% of the child population. There is the need for a better balance in the capital expenditure provided to Corporate Area secondary schools compared to rural schools and there is the need for an equal amount of space for boys as there are for the girls at the secondary level.
The National Housing Trust has developed a reputation for equitable and fair distribution of benefits based on needs so it is hoped that NET could be fair in the distribution of resources throughout the island and between the genders. The quality of performance of students is poor according to a document produced by Jamaica's Promise. The organisation claims that students achieve passes of less than 30% in standard high school examinations in English, Mathematics and the Sciences and that 75% of the employed labour force have no training whatsoever in the trade in which they are working. Of the 130,000 who are unemployed in the 15-29 age group as many as 74% have had no educational certification although 84% of them have spent at least three years in the secondary educational system. Incidentally, this is the age group that is most involved in violent crimes.
A new management system might just be the remedy for the ailments. The NET could also co-ordinate some of the support being given to the education system. Last year, the Baptists offered $1 million as scholarships to needy students. A co-ordinated effort could benefit from better returns on all scholarship funds if these were pooled together. Denominations, overseas bodies and private sector groups might be more willing to support an independent group scholarship fund under NET.
The stated intention of the Jamaican government is that in the twenty-first century it will take responsibility primarily for providing primary education for its children. However, we need a system that takes responsibility for children to the secondary level. A way needs to be found for there to be free education to Grade Eleven. In addition, NET would have to provide the funding for children to do four CXC examinations namely English, Mathematics, a Science subject and one other.
Most work places and tertiary institutions require a minimum of four subjects and so it is imperative that the society provides at least the basic minimum for its most important human resource. If a child wants to do more then the parents must fund it through loans etc. Sixth form and tertiary education would be at the cost of students or their parents and loans would be made available for such a purpose. Contributors to the Education Tax would be able to access loans from the NET. The resources and functions of the Students Loan Bureau would be absorbed into the NET. Persons could also combine benefits with other persons to fund their education or their spouses or their children or help their parents who had earlier sacrificed to help them. In addition, if someone did not use their benefits after seven years then they would be entitled to a rebate.
National Education Trust should be modelled after National Housing Trust. NET should get the same 2% before NIS like NHT and this would mean more money in the coffers for education. More money means that better salaries could be offered to the teachers. Education is important as a means of social mobility, self-actualisation and economic advancement. A National Education Trust could help to improve on the standard of education of the people. NET would benefit from greater transparency, increased contributions from government, contributors, civil society and overseas bodies. Even self-employed persons would be anxious to make their contributions to the NET. Under National Education Trust there could be better management, more co-ordinated participation by civil society, more funding for education, compulsory free education to Grade Eleven, funding for four subjects at CXC level, loans to fund higher education and better salaries for teachers.
Devon Dick is the pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church, St. Andrew.
