Dear Editor
THE recent move by Government to impose VAT on private school has seen many people giving their opinions about this present administration and we saw a few started to picketing at various locations with the aim of trying to get the Government to change their position.
Many of the picketers are parents. I am somewhat of the view that they are not really in touch with reality. I am quite sure they will be burden directly with paying that VAT and the private schools will be benefitting financially. Listening to the comments being solicited from the picketers, I believe that many of them should look at reality and see if what they are picketing for is indeed a good cause and if some of those picketing are indeed parents as they are claiming.
During last week’s picketing exercise, one so-called picketing parent said that many days children attending public school would go home without any school work in their books and that is why they chose to send their children to private school. The Ministry of Education and the GTU should condemn that slanderous statement because either that ‘Parent’ has something against public school or might have a more active role in the private school. I don’t have a problem with people exercising their democratic rights, but if you are going to do that and make up lies in the process, I believe I should defend that. That parent should say which public school is that. She gives the impression as if whichever school she was talking about has no interest in the education of the child and quite honestly I believe that she was lying. Many things could be said about schools but I’ve never heard of a public school that doesn’t teach the children anything or give them information to write in their books or teachers that do not like their jobs.
Editor, private school is an option to many who have kids not educated/qualify enough to attend the school that many view as bright schools (Queens College, Saints etc.) thus in order to not look bad in their society they enrol them at private schools. Look at the results of private schools and you will see that many cannot achieve marks even close to the public schools. I travel a lot and ask lots of questions and a while back I had written about a private school at Meten-meer-Zorg and to date there has been no changes and I have wondered why people are criticising public schools and they are not against private schools that are charging fees and cannot give a better service.
The owner of the school has the keys for the school and the children would have to brave the morning sun until he comes before they could enter the school which is usually after 8am. There is no proper shed for them or any seating area so many would have to stand by the grills, under the sun or rain until the school/gate is opened. Unlike public school, one teacher is assigned to a class and she/he has to teach all the subjects and even jump over to another class to teach at the same time. At the public schools, secondary/high/college, one teacher teaches one subject and if there are seven different subjects during the day, then seven different teachers will be teaching the children throughout the day. I have nothing against that school but I cannot understand if you are charging 100% for a service and only providing 25% then I find something wrong there and if people are going to criticize Government’s action, they should look at what they are defending first.
Regards
Sahadeo Bates