Dangerous ideas, Ms Ritch

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I READ Dawn Ritch's column (Gleaner, Aug. 23/01) "British colonialism unjustly blamed" with incredulity and dismay.

She states that education is not a divine right and that it should be elitist. Education is a fundamental requirement to a good and equitable society. Ideas like hers are dangerous to any society. And this reinforces the fact that she is not thinking critically.

The colonial days that promoted elitist education in Jamaica are part of the reasons for some of the social problems that Jamaica continues to experience as the black population was relegated to the periphery of Jamaican society. For her to state that "some people's head just can't take education" is irresponsible and shows her ignorance in pedagogy. For people with learning disabilities, there is special education which applies a teaching method geared to such people.

Ms. Ritch, everyone can be educated since there are different methods of imparting knowledge.

She also refers to "a return to the sanity of colonialism and the honesty of slavery". What kind of crap is this? Slavery was a system of denigration, dehumanisation and annihilation of the Negro psyche. I need not elaborate here as we should all know what slavery entailed. I think Ms. Ritch would prefer to see a society wherein the upper classes get an education while the poor lives in a marginalised society without progress.

I am, etc.,

J. CAMERON

nubijan2@hotmail.com

Brampton, Ontario Canada

Via Go-Jamaica

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