Blame 'the system' - Accident of birth, education access determinants of life's chances

By Peter Espeut

Jamaica is one of the most unequal countries in the world. A recent World Bank Report ranked Jamaica 114th out of 156 countries in the world in terms of income inequality (Gini coefficient). Only 42 countries in the ranking had a larger gap between the rich and the poor than Jamaica. We were better than Haiti, South Sudan, Mozambique and Rwanda; and were more unequal than Guyana, Ghana, India, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Is this a scandal of the highest proportions, indicating a sick society with social institutions which reproduce deep inequality in each successive generation? Or is it that most Jamaicans are genetically deficient, more interested in play rather than work, and committed to immediate gratification rather than to pursuing medium- to long-term goals requiring some sacrifice and self-denial?

There is evidence, I suppose, supporting both options, and people will prefer the one which supports their ideology: they will either blame 'the system' or blame 'the victim'.

Whether a Jamaican child grows up to be poor or otherwise has a lot to do with accident of birth. If a child is born to better-off parents, the chances are they will end up middle class or better; their parents will be able to afford to send them to kindergarten and then private preparatory school, which will allow them to pass GSAT for a 'traditional' high school, and thereafter to sixth form and university, which will open the door to a higher-paying job.

born poor

If, on the other hand, a child is born to poor parents, chances are he will grow up to be poor; his parents might send him to basic school or infant school, after which he'll spend six years in a primary school and just might learn to read; but chances are he will end up in the upper grades of an all-age school or a junior high school, or he might go to an 'upgraded' high school. Chances are he will leave secondary school with no CXC subjects, and be suited only for a low-paying job.

Maybe such children will get a second chance through JAMAL (now called the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning) or through evening classes, but one's life chances are all but determined by the accident of their birth and the type of education to which they had access.

This is because Jamaica operates two different education systems, and the main difference is in their quality. Generally speaking, the private-run system is far superior, preparing children to excel at examinations conducted in standard English, and providing a more rounded extra-curricular programme.

The government-run education system is far inferior. A recent Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson survey found that, of 1,022 institutions that prepared students for GSAT last school year, only four government schools were in the top 100 - the best ranking 49. Put another way, of the top 100 GSAT institutions last year, 96 were private prep schools.

Social mobility - the possibility of moving from a government primary school to a 'traditional' high school - is definitely possible. But when it gets to CXC time, the students who came from prep schools will far outperform those who attended primary schools. It would seem, therefore, that 'the system' is more to blame than 'the victims'.

durable rates

Rates of poverty and illiteracy have been durable from colonialism to Independence and 52 years beyond because there has been little success in reforming Jamaica's education system. Too little effort has been made by successive governments, and too much resistance to change has been mounted by the teachers' union and the middle class.

An economy based on agriculture and manufacturing needs a large, unskilled or lightly skilled labour force; middle-class Jamaica depends upon cheap household and yard labour - strong on domestic skills and weak on academics. Now that Jamaica's economy has shifted to rely more upon services, which require a more highly skilled and technology-savvy labour force, there is a big mismatch, which is why we have to import so much skilled labour from overseas.

Authentic economic and social development for Jamaica means reduction in inequality of Jamaicans through quality education. The ministry of national development is really the education ministry.

Tomorrow, a stalwart of Jamaican secondary education, Sr Bernadette Little, RSM, CD - will be buried. This black Jamaican woman of rural origins who rose to be at the helm of Alpha Academy proves that Jamaican education - in both academics and personal values - can be made second to none in the world.

She never lost her spark. At almost 90 years old, she was still able to assist me by translating Latin documents into English. Ad Multos Annos, Sr Bernadette!

Peter Espeut is a rural development sociologist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.