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Last week I wrote about the tragedy of blind faith in relation to religion and politics. This week I will continue on this topic but in relation to education and norms.
It is my belief that the unwillingness of our citizens to question and address norms, values and education is one of the foundational flaws of our country. It is one of the root causes of the many ills we are experiencing today.
It is necessary to acknowledge that there are many positive and uplifting aspects of our norm set and education. We are a people who transcended slavery, indentureship and all manners of oppressive horrors to build our nation. In education we continue to produce brilliant people who rise above their peers and go on to become leaders and elites in their respective fields.
However, there are foundational problems with our norms and education. It is not my intention to criticise and highlight only the bad. Rather, I am seeking to point out the flaws and shortcomings of these institutions so that we can begin to rectify them.
On norms, I cannot stress how much of our problems and issues can be attributed to this point. We as a nation have become accustomed to following norms without question. We have a tendency to follow a set of norms that were appropriate to a certain time and context and are unwilling to reshape and restructure our norms to reflect our present.
For example, the patriarchal structure of our society and many of our national institutions date back to the times of colonialism. The favouring of men over women, the hyper-masculinisation of men and the de-sexing and de-humanising of women can be traced back to the slave fields, to white colonial controls and cultural prejudices.
Women were expected to be subservient to their male relatives and the men were not to be questioned or opposed. Despite the very few public women in positions of power, the subjugation of women continues.
To take the norms of gender relations even further the role of men as masculine, the "village ram" or "badjohn" has morphed into the stark criminal behaviour we see today.
Young men in seeking to prove their masculinity are violent toward others, just as violence was meted out to them. Furthermore, they seek to impregnate as many women as possible to prove their virility but cannot take care of their offspring, leading to fatherless children and an entire cycle of violence.
In a society where we expect boys to be hardy, rough, violent and promiscuous, is it not surprising that we are plagued by so much violence? We set the stage and the structures of violence and the drug and arms trade provide the tools for them to perform their expected roles.
Blind acceptance of norms goes far beyond gender and violence. We still operate under a colonial mentality that white is right. We refuse to place science and logic, facts and knowledge into our values systems and instead rely on false or outdated sources of conduct. We as a nation turn a blind eye to child abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence etc because "dat is none ah we business".
We continue to sexualise all of our cultural arts and yet are shocked at sex scandals in schools. Sex has been going on in schools since there were schools, the only difference is now there are cameras and phones to record.
Norms in relation to sexual orientation, in relation to child rearing and medication, healthy living and community are all very much flawed, yet we refuse to change; "dat is de way it is" is the usual rebuttal of those who are set in their ways.
This is not to say that we should do away with all the old. Rather we should endeavour to adjust our norms and values to create the equitable, just and peaceful society that we crave.
The blind acceptance of education is also another fundamental issue with our nation. I will need to traverse carefully along this explanation if I am to get my point across.
Education is supposed to be much more than the knowing of facts and the memorising of "knowledge". Rather it is supposed to be an enquiry project where basic understanding is used to challenge and push the boundaries of what is called "education".
From primary school all the way to Form Five the general pupil needs to be imparted with basic knowledge, facts, figures and skills. From A-Levels however, pupils are supposed to be prepared to question the question and push the limits of their minds.
At university this is supposed to bloom. Sadly, the pushing of boundaries and the expanding of frontiers is not something that is taking place in our system. We are not equipping students to question and think critically. In this point it is not the student who is at fault, rather it is the cumbersome, detached and uninformed bureaucracy who design education curriculum who accept the old style of learning without question.
They refuse to see that a student in 2012 cannot be expected to learn like a student in the 1950s. Time and technology has fundamentally altered the pedagogy of teaching and learning and we need to catch up.
It is not too late for us to try and push the boundaries of what we accept even at the foundational level. We should as a nation realise that we are not perfect and that there is much work that needs to be done.
The best way to grow and to learn is to open our minds and reject blind faith in any and all things.
Rajiv Gopie won the President's Medal in 2006 for business/modern studies. He is an MSc candidate in International Relations at the
London School of Economics.
rajivgopie@hotmail.com
