Letter: You can take water to the donkeys but you cannot make them drink
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| Published on Saturday, September 19, 2009 |
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Dear Sir:
I read the second of two letters by Foxy Stewart “Grenada’s education system” with great interest. Not being a resident of the island (as s/he put it) with both hands in the air well and truly above my head may I confess up front that I know nothing at all about the country’s education system neither would I dare even to suggest that I am a patriot. But like Mr/s Stewart and I assume Mr George my navel string is buried in Grenada.
Having left the island as a child my first personal contribution to Grenada as an expatriate was when I raided my piggy bank to contribute to my school collection on behalf of the people of Grenada following hurricane Janet in the 50s. At that time I lived in Trinidad. My next contribution came some fifty years later following hurricane Ivan and I was thanked as so many others by a personal letter on written behalf of the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique by the then High Commissioner of Grenada in London.
I visited the country the following year for the very first time in fifty-two years and have continued to do so at least twice each year ever since. I even had members of my family in the UK visit the island and both my wife and I are planning to retire there in the near future.
On our first visit we were both rather disappointed with the state of the Museum and the Library on the Carenage and having spoken to members of staff at both institutions we tried to seek some sort of help or support from perhaps similar institutions in the UK. I personally contacted our Member of Parliament who was very good in as much as she wrote to a number of bodies on Grenada’s behalf but without success however; hope came in an offer from Northamptonshire County Council to create a link between their library services and that of Grenada.
I, as an elected member of the County Council, had the support from staff members of Library Services. I then contacted the Grenada High Commissioner in London who passed on the relevant information to the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Grenada. From memory the person’s name was Mrs McIntire who by e-mail contacted the Director of Libraries whose office is on the Carenage and copied me. Not hearing anything from the Director of Libraries for months I telephoned Mrs McIntire’s office from my Northampton home and spoke at some lengths with her. She was disappointed but pointed out that it was up to the Director to act. In fact Permanent Secretary McIntire said: “it is in her best interest” or words to that effect.
We heard nothing at all from the director; however, on visiting Grenada we telephoned and made an appointment to see her but she did not keep that appointment. When we arrived as agreed we were told she was visiting other libraries by someone dressed in what looked like a security uniform. The individual went on: “She is in charge of the whole lot of libraries all over the country you know!” We telephoned, made another appointment and got to see the director this time but one could tell from her attitude she was not interested in what we had to say.
The staff from Library Services in Northamptonshire wrote a number of letters addressed to the director but got no response so I decided to contact the then leader of the Opposition in Grenada at his St George’s address using the NDC e-mail address hoping to get some support. This was well before the Lucasgate saga. I forwarded two sets of e-mails containing correspondence that Library Services in Northampton sent to the Director of Libraries in Grenada via NDC office for the attention of Tillman Thomas. They were all ignored.
I later received a letter from the director (libraries Grenada) at my UK address just when elections were imminent in Grenada. We were all delighted and followed it up with responses but nothing came of it.
Following the election I wrote to the newly elected Prime Minister of Grenada on the offer of linking the Library Services of Grenada with that of Northamptonshire. Having waited for a month or so without receiving a reply I again sent the same letter by e-mail to the Prime Minister and after another long wait I telephoned his office from my home in Northampton and spoke to a number of people having to wait to be transferred again and again. I got confirmation that my letters were received and that the Prime Minister would be responding in due course. Well, he has been in office for over a year and I am still waiting for that response but I am much too old to believe in Father Christmas.
Just for the record, I wrote to Gordon Brown the UK Prime Minister and had a response within fourteen days (yes, you got it, it was about Grenada). I did not receive the response I would have liked but never the less he was courteous enough to reply.
Not having any luck with the PM I thought it best to try the newly appointed Minister of Education Mrs Bernadine so I telephoned her Ministry from the UK and spoke with her secretary stating that my wife and I would be in St George’s in November of last year and would like an appointment to see the minister. I went on to explain that I would be bringing a packet with me containing some special book samples by authors from Northants including children books and literature plus a letter from the Manager of Library Services in Northampton. We were told to telephone her office on arrival; we did, only to be told the minister was out of the country call back the following week. We did, only to be told that the minister had cabinet. The following day we telephoned and again we were told the minister has cabinet followed by she will be visiting here; there and so on and to call back the following week (the last part week of our stay). We did call that following week and behold the minister had cabinet. The day we were given to call back was the day we were due to fly back to the UK so I handed the parcel over to a newspaper explaining my reason which included I fear handing it directly over to the library on the Carenage it would only end up in a corner gathering dust. Notice that at no time did the Minister Secretary even suggested that she would call us back. It was us doing all the chasing.
We heard nothing from the Library Service or the newspaper so when we returned to Grenada in March this year I went to the newspaper office to find out what happened to the parcel. Apparently, it was handed in to the Director of Libraries. We went to the Library and found that none of director’s staff had any knowledge of it. I approached her (the director) and ask what happened to the parcel? It was on the floor in a corner by her desk. I then queried why she has not replied to Northampton. She told me she did not know they was a letter enclosed (this was after nearly four months). She promise to reply to the Manager in Northampton but up to now we are still waiting.
The problem Grenada faces, Mr/s Stewart, is not with the hundreds or thousands of expatriate like Mr George and me; it is the disease embedded within an antiquated, outdated and corrupt behavioural system that has been allowed to festered amount those so called elitist. They tend to operate a form of Mafia brotherhood protection system and see expatriates as interfering or some sort of threat to their pattern of behaviour and lifestyle. My limited experience with those at the top reminds me of a saying in Britain: “You can take water to the donkeys but you cannot make them drink.”
I have had experience of good business sense from the Commission in London. I am always kept up to date with events and fundraising for various organisations back in Grenada for which I make a contribution from time to time.
Two years age I collected a considerable amount of books, including technological such as electrical, mechanical and production engineering. They all went to St Patrick via the High Commission. Only this year I sourced a free-standing printer/photocopier/fax/telephone machine, which was sent to a school in Petite Martinique via the High Commission, so my advice to Mr George is not to send anything to Grenada willy nilly; go through the High Commission in Canada. Those within know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.
It was the Prime Minister Thomas who recently was quoted as saying: “Every little helps. Improving education must be a community effort.” In the article he went on to say, “Over the years we have allowed our system to slip and have not been training our young people with skills needed by the marketplace. Many of our young people are not suited for the job market and are unable to function effectively in the workplace.” The Prime Minister also mentioned his ambition to see a faculty of the UWI in Grenada in three years time.
Perhaps the civil servant who wrote those speeches should have told the Prime Minister that first we must not only teach our people how to read we must encourage them and in order to do this we must provide them adequate facilities such a as good quality environment with first class second to none facilities. New technology such as the website access must be provided for stakeholders. CDs and facilities for the blind and the disabled should be available. It should be seen as inclusive and should provide a welcoming atmosphere to stakeholders. The last time I saw the sign saying ‘Library’ I was ashamed.
Two great institutions of learning, our Libraries and Museums are failing our people. Thirteen years of none investment by Robin Hood of Happy Hill and his merry men and woman have brought shame on these institutions and doing nothing is not an option.
Winston Strachan
Northampton
England | | | | Reads : 1261 | | | |
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