Good idea, wrong approach

The Editor, Sir:

I read with great interest a letter on Tuesday, entitled, 'Invest in Education'. The writer highlighted some points that are imperative, if we as nation are serious about raising the standard of education.

She talked about the minister of education, Mr Andrew Holness' suggestion to get educators to come to Jamaica and assist with secondary education.

I think this current minister of education is serious about education and is searching for different avenues to enhance the education sector, but this is the wrong approach.

To get educators from abroad to come to Jamaica and assist with secondary education will cost taxpayers an enormous amount of money, not to say that money is too much to invest in education, because children are our future.

What I have a problem with is whether we will get value for money. I don't believe that foreign educators will make much of a positive impact on the classroom; students very likely will find it difficult to understand the accent of persons who are not from our diaspora.

So, my suggestion to the minister of education is that he uses this money to train more teachers in the subject areas that students struggle with most. He also needs to build more schools so as reduce the teacher-student ratio.

I am, etc.,

Dervan Myers

myersdervan@yahoo.com

Heathfield, St Elizabeth