The Editor, Sir:

Please permit me to share my feelings about the new wave of terrorism that has been unleashed on the most vulnerable group of educators in the society, teachers in early childhood institutions.

First, let me declare personal interest in this matter. I am not only a past student of one of these institutions, now under siege, but one of the oldest such institutions is run by my family. I am an educator at the tertiary level today because of the excellent foundation that was laid before I went to primary school. The onerous, oppressive requirements for certification are taking their toll on early childhood educators who have made many personal sacrifices.

Let me hasten to state that I believe that it is important to set standards and to provide good quality education for our children. What irks me is that some of the people who have created this terrorist system are products of these institutions.

Procedures for certification

I invite all readers to take a look at some of the requirements for certification of early childhood institutions, and the procedures that applicants have to go through to have their institutions certified.

One requirement is that all the workers (teachers, cooks and the persons who cut the grass in the schoolyard) must have food handlers permit, a medical report and a clean police record. This requirement clearly demonstrates the disconnect between the people who sit in offices and do paper work and those who are involved in the day to day running of a school.

Where are the politicians in all of this? They know the realities on the ground. Collectively, they know every inch of this island. They combed the entire island seeking votes. Why have they given so much power to oppressive technocrats to harass early childhood educators and take them away from their schools day after day, to travel to different points of the islands to present documents that are rejected time after time for one reason or another?

Out of touch with realities

The present government has planned to cut waste in the public sector. It is time to take a close look at what is going on in the name of 'improving early childhood education'.

Many children are being short-changed while their teachers are traveling all over the island trying to meet the onerous requirements set by people who are out of touch with the realities that these teachers face in their schools.

I am, etc.,

WINNIE ANDERSON-BROWN

winab@cwjamaica.com

Bagatelle District

Clarendon