Education in the Caribbean
According to Emille Durkheim, “Education is the acquisition of
knowledge and the learning of skills. It often helps to shape beliefs
and moral values.” Education is one of the very tools through which
social change and transformation can be achieved.
Education, and in particular the teaching of history provides a link
between the student and society and also a sense of belonging. The
teaching of history helps to shape an individual’s belief’s and values
of what was taught and passed on through generations. For example,
teaching a student about slavery and learning about how their
ancestors revolted to claim their freedom can teach an individual to
have a sense of pride in their history. Durkheim believed that school
serves as a function which cannot be provided by the family or peer
group. Being a member of a family is based on relation and being part
of a group of friends depends on choice but being a member of society
lies in neither of these categories. School teaches individual’s to
learn to interact and cooperate with people who are neither friend nor
family; therefore, school provides the perfect atmosphere to acquire
interaction skills. The school allows the students to interact under a
fixed set of rules and these experiences allow the student to grow and
prepare themselves for interaction with the wider society. Durkheim
also added that school rules must be enforced and punishments should
me put in place where necessary. This in turn helps the student to
learn that their act was wrong and would be able to exercise self-
discipline not only to avoid punishment but because their action has
done ...
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...nd what is wrong and sticking to
their convictions. For example in the Roman Catholic schools, students
may be taught about the Ten Commandments and learn that it is wrong to
go against it. Some may adapt to these beliefs and some may not but by
learning about it they know not to stray to far from the norm.
In conclusion, those who conform to the Caribbean society’s values of
education will be ranked highly and will be likely to receive positive
sanctions. They will be rewarded with high prestige because they
exemplify and personify what the society expects of them. High
position will vary from society to society, in the Caribbean, society
values individual achievement and “puts primary emphasis on productive
activity within the economy”. Therefore those who have achieved with
their own initiative will be successful.
Education, according to Dictionnary.com is “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university”. However, education is taught differently everywhere. The educational system of each country is created based on their own cultures, traditions, and historical background. Each county, perhaps, have their own way to teach and manage their educational systems. Unlike some countries. “The US has most diversified education system in the world, with public and private schools at all levels flourishing alongside each other” (Hampshire, 2006) Even though the U.S. display some similarities such as a diverse population of students in classes and a great emphasize on education and education and academic success, they however differ dramatically in teaching methods, student aids, teacher evaluation system, and resources. Though not so far apart on the map, the education system in Haiti and the educational system in the United states are extremely opposite when it comes to organization, technology, and finance.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the American educational system has undergone much transition in response to our changing society. Though there have been many problems raised throughout the years in regard to what our school systems should be teaching our children, there have also been many developments.
“Because of the many different religions in the Middle Colonies, education was different from the other colonies. In the New England Colonies, school was based on a Puritan education, so more children went to schools.”
I come from a small family whose members include my immediate family. Like most Haitian-American living in my region, religion is a fundamental part of my upbringing. I was practically raised in a church and attended church three times a week as a child. Members of my church acted as parents to me and my sister and disciplined me with my mother consent. They played an active role in my upbringing and shaped my norms and taught me was considered appropriate and inappropriate. For example, I was taught to kiss adults and elders on the cheek when saying hello. I was told that I couldn’t address adults by their first name, and most importantly I was taught to always bite my tongue and always respect my
Can American education stand to be improved? Of course! America isn’t a top performing country in academics. Other countries have much better, focused, and strict education programs that produce top students. While the United States isn’t failing in education, it definitely has some areas that could stand to be improved. Parents need to be more involved in their kid’s education, testing shouldn’t be the focal point of school, teachers need to be better qualified, and students should strive to do their best. If all of these can be achieved, then education in America can be improved.
Jamaica is full of diversity. From religion, to ancestry, and even geography, Jamaica is always evolving. From the towering mountains all the way to the warm and sandy beaches, Jamaica is a sight to see. However, Jamaica was not always a happy and carefree place. The Jamaican people have suffered from war, disease, and slavery. Jamaica is a small and beautiful country that thrives with culture and should be studied by everyone around the world.
During the period of 1640-1690 the expansion of the Caribbean “economy, was made possible by the expansion of the European colonisation over the Atlantic. However Africans were captured for slave trade to sustain the development of sugar industry, through slave labour to produce sugarcane.” (Grouchier & Walton, 1629: 418-420). The scramble for Africa brought about gender inequality within the African society, the European invasion in the Atlantic introduced some political conflicts regarding the demand for economic control and to take over the Atlantic. (Hornsby & Hermann, 2005: 127). Nevertheless sugar plantation was jointly supported by the cooperate finance and the state. (Stuart, 2004: 3-8). However according to Richards most sugar plantation owners would have to anticipate that their international investors would desire a large amount of raw sugar. (Richard, 1974: 38). nevertheless the attitude of the plantation owners was partly due to an increased amount of “optimism” and partly because of the difficulty of international communications in the 17th century. This shared attitude brought a lot of farmer’s to debtor’s prison while some extremely prospered. (Mints, 44-45). Nevertheless this essay will pay attention to economic, political and social consequences of the sugar revolution in the Caribbean.
Social Psychologists can help resolve this issue by studying the reasons why some people practice prejudice and then teaching people how to reach within themselves and alter negative perceptions of others. Once we learn some of the ways discrimination is conceived, we may find ways that avoid the creation of them and decrease the likelihood of it occurring. To alter this harsh behavior, one must surround himself with the type of environment that encourages the positive characteristics of living with individuals who are different from him. “Confidence is knowing who you are and not changing it a bit because of someone’s version of reality is not your reality”
Many changes have been seen over the past 250 years. First, is the 17th century where there was Colonial Education. This education took place in a private setting and was only available to upper-class white males. Students had to memorize their lessons due to a shortage of supply for textbooks and paper. Most lessons for these students consisted of reading, writing, math, poem and prayer. When students got older, the schooling would start getting them ready to later enter into plantation life. Unfortunately, poor children at this time were not educated in literacy and religion. Also, there wasn’t much in teacher preparation. Due to the lack of success in other lines of work, people often became teachers. In the 18th century, more schools
Mir, S. (2011), Education woes: Shortage of teachers a threat to public schools, Tribune, 3 April.
Education is generally seen as a formal process of instruction, based on a theory of teaching, to impart formal knowledge to one or more students (Cogburn, n.d.). Henceforth, individuals seek to acquire some form of schooling from pre-school through secondary school while others may go on to tertiary to better him or her in some way. A definition of education according to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is that education is “a process of teaching, training and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills.” Where education in the common parlance has become a process of adding layers of one’s store of knowledge, the true aim of education is to call forth that which is essential to the individual (White, 2006). Furthermore, and according to Coombs and Ahmed 1974, education is a continuing process, spanning the years from earliest infancy through adulthood and necessarily involving a great variety of methods and sources. Education also involves inculcating in students distinct bits of knowledge; therefore education is an additive process (White, 2006). It adds to an individual as well as it adds to a country through the individuals who are and would have been or are being educated. According to a study conducted by Olaniyan and Okemakinde 2008, education creates improved citizens and helps to upgrade the general standard of living in a society. Furthermore, education plays a key role in the ability of a developing country to absorb modern technology and to develop the capacity for self-sustaining growth and development (Todaro and Smith, 2012).
in the region, it is hard for the Caribbean to try to run as one body
The primary role of education and the education system is to contribute not just towards the academic but also the social development of children. Many people are of the view that some educators fail to cater to individual learning needs and or learning styles, thus blame the school system for male underachievement in Caribbean Secondary Schools. According to Bainbridge (2015) underachievement occurs when a child's performance is below what is expected based on the child's ability. Cobbet & Younger (2012) assert that “boys’ underachievement in the Caribbean has been a high profile issue since the 1990s” but point out that the ‘extent of the problem, the extent to which it actually constitutes a problem, and the ways it can best be explained and understood have been deeply contested’ (pp. 611). Given this issue, educational underachievement of boys was the focus of a three year longitudinal study launched in April 2011by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Its mandate was to identify factors contributing to the
Since I grew up in the Catholic faith, I understand that not everyone has the same religious beliefs that my religion teaches. The way a person is raised, has an impact on their religious beliefs. Your belief system is the actual set of precepts from which you live your daily life, those that govern your thoughts, words, and actions (Woods, 2006). Since, I had religion classes through out my school years I have been taught to accept other people's religious beliefs. Even my parents have taught me to look at a person's culture and beliefs to gain a better understanding of their point of view. With the understanding of others religious beliefs and cultures it has allowed me to deal with others in a fair and equal manner. Even though I have had some difficult time with others I remember how I was raised and it has helped me through those difficult times.
Most people would say that if you obtained your education in the United States of America, then you got the best education of all. This is a fascinating idea but I absolutely disagree on this. I believe that education is still based upon an individual’s character and insight in life. It is dependent on how one values education. Even if one has attained the highest education in the United States, he can still be considered uneducated if he doesn’t apply what he has learned in school. The education in the Philippines is better in some ways. Due to difficulty of life in the country and the strong desire of the Filipinos to strive hard, the education becomes the top priority. There are three aspects to compare the education between the Philippines and the United States and these include the cost of education, the type of training, and the style of education.