Las May’s comics are something else!

I came across some videos today and so I have decided to share one with you all. You have to give credit to Las May, Jamaica Gleaner cartoonist! Enjoy!

Portia “flies the gate” LIVE!

I just discovered this on You Tube. Apparently it was shot through a cell phone! Clever if you ask me. Gentle people….Jamaican Girl doesn’t attend these events…instead she watches it from the luxury of her personal TV. But no watch dat…mi still feel di energy radiating! Please listen clearly to the end where she talks about the number 7! One thing you have to give to this woman is her ability to move the crowd. Maybe Bruce can learn a little something from this! Credit must be given where credit is due. Enjoy!

UWI fees going up?

I was wondering how long it would take for a good story to be published on UWI fees increasing. Today, the Jamaica Observer reported that UWI fees will be increased by 15% for Jamaicans, 3.8% for Barbados and 0% for Trinidad. Now let me just give my view on UWI fees in Jamaica.

Most people who attend the UWI have this sense of entitlement. In essence, they are entitled to a university education. In 1973, Michael Manley spontaneously announced that education should be made free up to the tertiary level.  According to Seaga “By over-playing his hand he increased budget expenditure from $47,750,000 in the current year to $209,000,000 the next year”, to achieve  this great feat. ”This wiped out virtually all the surplus that was to be derived from the bauxite levy which he secured in 1974 and set the stage for a necessary withdrawal from free education eventually”.

In 1985, students in Jamaica were required to pay a CESS fee of about 15%. Later on this would be increased to 20%. This means that taxpayers of Jamaica finance 80% of tuition costs without any form of bonding or giving back to the society. With the progressive devaluation of the Jamaican dollar, naturally the Jamaican dollar cost of tuition would increase.

In the past, UWI has been a little easy going on those who have not fully paid their fees in a timely fashion. Students took it for granted that once they paid up before their exam date, then all is well. I recall a few years ago in the not so distant past, the UWI laid down the law and decided it would adhere to their standard policy by requiring that students pay by a certain deadline or face deregistration. Taking the UWI for granted, most students couldn’t come up with their fees. So up comes the deadline and some people faced deregistration. The next thing the society knew was that the media was brought to the campus to watch how students were going to lock down the Mona campus and protest that they didn’t want to pay their fees. The freeness mentality is so prevalent in the society that people truly believe that if they don’t pay their fees, they must not be turned away, but continue to absorb education. Students are not satisfied that the Jamaican society finances 80% of their tuition, as they expected that the Government of Jamaica, in light of the protest, should cough up the balance on their behalf. So, UWI locked down for a day and we watched the horror of students using their bodies to prevent entry to the campus for those going about their lawful business. I remember Maxine Henry-Wilson rushing up to UWI to see if she could appeal to the administration by committing more of our tax money for a bunch of freeloaders. Unbelievable.

Well here it is again, fees are going up by 15% and already the griping has begun. Students have complained throughout the year about all sorts of things including the lack of sufficient security on the campus. Now, I don’t know of anyone giving away services for free, so clearly if you want to have additional services, it has to be paid for and hence it has to be passed on to the students. Running a university campus is an expensive business.

 Here is my argument. Why do Jamaicans believe that it is their birth right to access tertiary education? From the last protest I sat down and pondered on this matter. What happened to planning on the part of students and their parents? It is no secret that the Jamaican dollar is devaluing with very little chance of revaluing, so why is it that people don’t plan for their future? If you look at commercials on First World TV, you will see where people are encouraged to save for their children’s future by way of starting a college fund. Why aren’t Jamaicans doing this? Please stop looking at Barbados and Trinidad and say that if they can afford a small or no increase, then why can’t we? Here is why….Trinidad has oil money and Barbados doesn’t have the same trade deficit as Jamaica.

I await another round of TV news showing us young adults protesting about UWI fee increase…….It will be interesting to see how any government administration will handle this matter….

Pastor Phinn’s School of Prophecy

I had meant to comment on this article a few days ago but it slipped me. For all those who wish to become an educated Obeah Man/Woman, Pastor Phinn now has a school for these persons. He operates twice weekly, giving instructions on how to become like himself.

For further details, you may read:

http://jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20070721t200000-0500_125496_obs_want_to_become_a_prophet__.asp

Just when I thought I had seen everything in Jamaica……

Political discourse is # 1 on the discussion board

For the last few days I have noticed that everywhere I go in Kingston, all people are engaged in some sort of political discussion. I guess this is how it will be until August 27th, when some people will be weeping while others throw a party, or some will be like me….weeping and then going to the party. I am one of those people who wants to see JAMAICA win.

 Anyway, back to the argument. Everywhere I go I cannot seem to escape political claws. If I stand in any business place for 5 minutes, I am destined to see a political ad on the TV. If it’s not the political ads, then it’s the various talk shows like All Angles, Impact and Your Issues Live…..and these shows are repeated probably twice per week.

 The best discussions however, are the ones at the bar, verandah, etc. I have heard so many comments about who is going to win and who is not going to win and why they are going to win…..I mean we have some serious “Pastor Phinns” out there….What I have found interesting is the way these so-called middle and upper class people in Jamaica describe and talk about Portia Simpson Miller. You see, these people truly think that Jamaica comprises ONLY Kingston 6 and Kingston 8 and so their view is shared by the wider society. I have heard how they can’t stand to see her, how she has no education, she can’t speak properly, she is an embarrassment and the list goes on. Not one to be hypocritical, I must say that I share some of these views….but so what? I have now learned to look past this “impediment” and just move on. The problem with many Jamaicans today is that they have this Eurocentric view that if you not educated and speak like you were born under Big Ben then you do not have any sense. Portia doesn’t need to have sense…..that’s what her technocrats are there for. You’d better hope that THEY have sense!

Then there are the JLP diehards who can’t get enough of Bruce’s promise of eternal life, filled with riches, milk and honey. They say that there will be NO corruption under a JLP government. Children will be better educated and all those who live over Portmore will be able to ride FREE on the highway. We will no longer see a pothole on our avenues and we will be able to take advantage of free quality education and health care….state of the art no less. All things will be perfect under this administration.

 I urge all Jamaicans to wake up and smell the coffee…..in case you didn’t know, this is the THIRD WORLD. There are so many things happening globally that affect our little living in Jamaica, that no PNP or JLP or NDM can ever solve. A simple thing like the fact that the world is running out of oil has not hit the average Jamaican. Any time there is a power outage we politicise it and think it must be some form of sabotage….We have our heads buried in the sand….I suggest that all Jamaicans Google the MEND in Nigeria to see how they affect world oil prices and is not just wicked dem wicked in Jamaica. Let us not forget the national debt which BOTH political parties have sunk us into. The balance after debt repayment is what has to carry this country through. What amazes me is the fact that people cuss about the debt, yet they drive the most luxurious vehicle, live in the most splendocious house and import just about every striking thing into Jamaica…..then they ask…how do we owe so much money?

 Anyway, I am sure like me, you all can’t wait for August 27th, 2007 to come and go……..Please take time out to click on my election poll and select who you think is best to take the country forward.

The Jamaica Labour Party..again and again..with free education

Well tonight I was looking at You Tube, only to see the new posting from the Jamaica Labour Party. What they have done is edited Andrew Holness’ ad which says he is bringing us free education with ALL the resources required for PRIMARY AND SECONDARY schools. Note that there is no mention of the fate of TERTIARY students. What a good thing I will soon be finished with UWI. Anyway, they have posted that “home video” looking commercial to You Tube which you can watch here:

check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-C1CmKUQGk

What is interesting is this. From I was born I have never heard of the Government of Jamaica giving back refunds (except unused NHT contributions), for anything. In this ad, they proclaim that if you have already paid the school fees they will refund you your money. If you can’t afford it…not to worry, they will pay it for you. Well if that isn’t double talk I don’t know what is. If you giving me something FREE then how does the argument of UN-AFFORDABILITY come into play? I just don’t know how.

Also, I am still baffled as to how this education issue is going to play out in the long run…where is the money coming from to afford all of this? I won’t stop asking this until August 27th. What happens then, Bruce Golding if EVERY SINGLE PARENT proclaims that they cannot afford the school fee??

The four biggest non-debates

As usual, the Xaymaca blog hits the nail on the head. Please read the link below on their article.

They are:

The debate over numerology and the place of religion in politics

The debate over whether this election will be more violent than the last

Education and Healthcare – free or not ?

The intelligence of the electorate

Some of these views have been expressed here, but it’s always great to know that others have similar sentiments:

http://xaymacablog.com/2007/07/22/4-biggest-non-debates-in-the-lead-up-to-the-election-in-jamaica/#comment-182

Get Foreign Teachers?

In today’s Jamaica Gleaner, there is an article citing Jacqueline Lloyd-Coke of the Jamaica Employers Federation. According to the article, Lloyd-Coke said “mediocre students largely reflect substandard teaching islandwide, and believes top local teachers should be bolstered by a cadre of competent foreign recruits”. So we now need to look outwards as it is apparent that we do not have qualified teachers. Well we knew this from a long time ago, however, what I want to know is this. If I have a Masters degree and a Dip Ed., why would a foreign recruit be more able than myself, to teach our nation’s children? What makes them more competent than I? Besides, if I were a foreign teacher, what is it that would attract me to Jamaica? It would be either one of two things:

1 – I am a recent college grad who wants to add value to my resume. I  want my future employers in my home country to see that I have altruistic qualites because I have gone to a Third World country and have helped the natives and their education system. 

2- I am being paid a wage far superior(more than what the natives are paid)  compared to what I would be paid in my home country.

Why would a country like Jamaica want to import teachers to teach our children when our teachers are being recruited to teach foreign children? Like Lloyd-Coke, I had foreign teachers from the US teaching at my school. To be honest, in retrospect, I think they came here because of reason #1 as listed above. I am qualified to teach and would love to teach, but not at those measly salaries. There are many people like myself who would like to enter the classroom, but not at those salary levels! Why can’t we flush out SOME of the current teachers and look at the salary scale….make it enticing enough for people like myself to apply? Many days I see schools advertising in the papers for teachers….I dare not apply….not at those wages! I want readers to note that a teacher does more than just teach a subject area. A teacher is expected to deal with anti-social children whose other socialisation agent, the family, has failed them. It’s not the worth the risk in my estimate, to collect chump change and deal with Jamaica’s “BAD BRUK PICKNEY DEM!!”

So is the importation of foreign teachers necessary when all that is required is to revisit the salary scale and perhaps attract a few quality teachers? What makes a foreigner more competent than I? The JLP thinks that the removal of a measly $5000 fee is going to make children smarter? Ha! They better think again!!

For further reading on this issue:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070723/lead/lead1.html

Norman Horne and Franklyn Witter

The other night I watched a mini debate between Norman Horne and Franklyn Witter who are representing the PNP and the JLP respectively. Mr. Witter barely said anything of worth and Mr. Horne, who was busy tooting his own horn, said too much of worthlessness. What surprised me is that the results showed that viewers were more impressed with Mr. Witter’s argument(s), which were more or less non-existent. Now it could be a case where a load of “Labourites” sat by their phones and voted for Mr. Witter. But if the truth be told, Mr. Witters infrequent interjections were worth more than Mr. Horne’s view. The same promises were made: water, light, perfect life etc.

One thing that made me listen intently to Mr. Horne though, was this dream vision of a university which is run by overseas investors for OVERSEAS students who will bring in an average of US$22,000.00 for tuition and room and board. Now imagine that. I don’t know which dream world Mr. Horne is living in. One thing for sure is this, if we had a string of foreign universities based here, our people could not afford to attend them. Now why should we just host a school on our lands and have our people stand at the gates looking through the bars? Why not have a vision where you mark lands to develop local community colleges and/or unversity for locals? Is it that we are not good enough to learn too? Or is it the JLP mould of creating a nation of blue collar workers that Mr. Horne has carried over to the PNP?

Mr. Witter, you deserved to win that little mini-debate!!

http://jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20070721t200000-0500_125492_obs_norman_horne_s_university_vision_.asp

Free Education Issue – Not going away for now!

The oppositon, the Jamaica Labour Party, has promised free education (tuition?) to all children in Jamaica, if they form the next Jamaican government. For a mere US$70.00 per term (or year?) our students will sit in classrooms and clearly we are promsied better results

 So let me see if I get this clear:

 1. Free primary and secondary education = Brighter Children?

2. Free primary and secondary education = Increase in education tax?

3. We will follow Barbados et al. and pay for examination fees IF the child passes the exam?

Now this is beginning to sound like a lottery scam to me! If you listen to the talk shows, it is evident that people are willing to pay for the education and they want value for money! Therefore, here is a suggestion to the JLP. You need to pump that 1.X billion dollars into recruiting solidly educated people to teach our children. I would be more receptive to this idea if they were proposing that teachers would be compensated so well that all University graduates would be clamouring for a teaching post! This would have a double effect. The taxpayers of Jamaica finance 80% of UWI’s tuition bill and have never asked for a day in return for some returns on their investment! In fact once you leave UWI with a taxpayer financed degree, you are free to do as you please! Wouldn’t this be a great way of making UWI graduates in particular, accountable to the general population AFTER they have spent so much money paying for their almighty degrees?? But to relieve parents of that fee, I cannot understand the logisitcs behind it!

And where, pray tell, is this money coming from? We still cannot hear and we have six (6) weeks left. By the way, what of FREE or HEAVILY SUBSIDISED tertiary education? I haven’t heard a word on that. We need to hear that, especially as there is a storm brewing about UWI school fees increasing! Or is it that we are preparing ourselves to be a society comprising mainly factory workers and telephone operators? Come on Bruce, tell us what’s up with this education business that has now become a political football!

 Read here for more details:

http://jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20070719T200000-0500_125438_OBS_NOT_SO_.asp