Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 05, 2013 Letters
Dear Editor,
The rise of illiteracy in Guyana can be observed daily. I travel to Georgetown about four times a week and other parts of the country and I observe that more than 40% of our young people are street corner and market vendors. Most are school dropouts and illiterates.
On my way to Georgetown last week, I saw a very young teenage girl selling water in the middle of the road. This young lady about fifteen years old, who ought to be in school, was risking her life in the middle of the road selling bottles of water to earn a living. As I travelled another few blocks down the road, I counted about ten more boys and girls as young as ten years old selling water.
I am concerned about the Ministry of Human Services as well as the Ministry of Education when I see these young lives stolen by poverty and bad parents to earn a living. I am still wondering if our government has a plan for these school dropouts selling all across our streets and those that are involved in child labour.
In my conversation with these kids, most of them came from broken homes and are with single parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents, or no one… they just live anywhere. Most of them cannot read or write.
The rise of illiteracy in our country is alarming, it’s no wonder domestic violence and murders have now joined in the ignorance that has become a plague in our society.
On my visits to the GPOC, tons of people will ask me to fill out a basic birth certificate form. The banks are the same as well as the immigration and other offices. Hundreds of our young people cannot read or write in this day and age of technology.
A few days ago, I performed a legal marriage for a young couple. I discovered that both of these young people, ages 18 and 21, can hardly sign their own names. The boy tried, but the girl took very long to write her name in a jumble of letters. And sometimes they will sign and write their own names wrong.
As a legal Marriage Officer and Reverend I deal will lots of people on a one to one basis everyday and I discovered that more than sixty percent of our population can hardly read or write. We will now have to build adult schools to educate our people.
Domestic violence is from both wives and husbands and children abusing parents and grandparents too. The root of all this violence and killings we see every day is the root cause of illiteracy. Illiterate parents will produce more illiterate children and school dropouts because they will never know the value of a good education. We can never teach our children something we never learned.
I also note with interest that lots of parents don’t have an interest in books. Learning they can buy smartphones, modern TVs and big music systems, books are no longer valued. Parents today have contributed significantly to the disaster of their children’s future because they set a bad example.
When we study crime and drugs, and the use of alcohol in our society, we must study individuals socially, morally, academically and spiritually. The use of alcohol that is legally sold is the greatest form of human degradation. Most domestic violence and murders are as a result of alcohol use and drugs. I have seen rum shops filled, all over this country. Murders and killings are coming from these bars. People think of fast money by selling rum, but rum is a curse on the human race. Yet we give entities accolades for manufacturing rum. I have seen the use of rum and drugs destroy lots of educated people, even celebrities.
The function of a good education in a civilized society is the key to our success. In some countries I have been to, it’s compulsory for drivers to know to read and write and for every citizen to go to school, both young and old. Only a few illiterate adults today are interested in reading. Most people today are seen with tons of DVDs; they have to watch movies – worthless things that have no value for them and their children. We have become a ‘carefree’ nation or what we call living a ‘’doan kay a dam’’ lifestyle.
It’s time the government arrests these situations of illiteracy by building more adult schools to educate all who are in need of such help. The youths of today will become the leaders of tomorrow without a proper education, how can they lead their own lives?
We should follow the model of the Greeks and Romans who were the greatest intellectuals on earth. If our people are properly educated academically, morally and spiritually, we will see a massive reduction of crime and violence. Our problems are moral and spiritual. If we deal with it by educating our youths we will have a glorious nation like a blooming rose garden smiling at dawn.
Rev.Gideon Cecil
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
Apr 17, 2024
2024 CWI Regional 4-Day Championships Round 7…GHE vs. CCC Kaieteur Sports – After a highly-successful round 6, Guyana Harpy Eagles will look to take full advantage of the out-of-sorts...Kaieteur News – Every school teacher should take a close look at the students in his or her classroom. The probability... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]