Towards the end of last week the Minister of Education articulated his concern over the not-too-encouraging level of effectiveness in our education system.

People who understand the dynamics of the system have been arguing that this state of affairs did not emerge overnight and consequently will not go away overnight and by talking about it.

Factors responsible for the weaknesses of our education system are reflected by the following statements:

• We have an over- centralised education system which is held too firmly in the grip of the political directorate.

People who really know and understand education unfortunately are never given the opportunity to do what has to be done. This is so with the present Government and with all our governments since Independence.

• Our procedure for appointing and confirming principals and teachers is fundamentally flawed and needs to be reviewed.

• There is a conspicuous absence of quality assurance in the system. Our schools are virtually sovereign states – immune to the posturing of the Ministry of Education.

• There is no meaningful philosophy behind our expenditure on education.

• Our society to a great extent is fast becoming anti-intellectual. Perhaps, some serious attempt on the part of the Government is needed to help all members of our society understand the need to embrace the requirements of the information age.

• Instead of complaining about performance in schools, it may be a good idea to find out what is going wrong there. Is it because of insufficient government support? Is it because of the inequalities which exist in the society?

Education in today's world has awesome power to influence the strength and stability of economies, social cohesion, political maturity, creativity and innovation of all nations that wish to make substantial progress.

No longer can political leaders with impunity use education as a political football to score cheap points.

A much more serious and non-partisan approach has to be pursued.

I hope the Minister and his advisers understand this and not see my plea as criticism. Education is everybody's business. The time is long past for us to stop the blame game. Consensus must now be the cry.

Raymond Hackett

St Augustine