Future in danger without the SBA

THE EDITOR: Our first prime minister, the late Dr Eric Williams, said a long time ago that the future of the nation was in the book bags of its children.

This statement is still true today and for our students to get a high quality education our teachers have to continue performing their duties.

So it is very disturbing that the teachers’ union is calling on it members to stop marking the CSEC and CAPE School-Based Assessment (SBA) unless they are paid for doing so. If teachers heed the call, then the students’ academic future and, by extension, the future of the nation will be endangered.

Teachers are already well paid, compared to other workers, so the issue of payment cannot cut it, in my view.

It would also be a selfish act by teachers if they do not mark the SBAs because they would be showing they do not care about their students.

One of the most important resources to generate economic activity and development is the human resource.

If this resource is not educated to the point where it can meet this need, then the very survival of the country would be in danger.

Without an educated, skilled population, foreign companies would not want to set up shop here and create jobs for our people.

This is where our teachers come in — to provide that much needed skilled human resource to keep the economy strong for decades to come in a very competitive world.

SHARON SURJOO, Carenage