Critical theory, social justice and the Jamaican education system
IN BOTH books, Educational for the Critical Consciousness and Pedogogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire perceived education systems as being geared at perpetuating inequalities within the society, and as such, there was a need to disrupt the narrative within the system to refocus on the liberation of the oppressed or marginalised groups within the system.
In order to achieve this, Freire argued that discourse must first take place between the oppressed group (the marginalised) and the groups that are seen as the perpetrators of social inequalities in the system (the oppressors). Freire saw both the oppressors and the oppressed as victims of social inequality because the oppressors have essentially lost their humanity when they oppress.
Critical theory is a means by which to help educators to interrogate the education system in its entirety, with the intention of facilitating its transformation, and, by extension, the social transformation of the society. It also helps create awareness and an appreciation of the culture that underpins our society that is directly responsible for society’s oppressed individuals and groups. This oppression within the context of education is due to race, gender, or class. An examination of the Jamaican education system through the lenses of critical theory will reveal just how oppressive or education system is.
BOYS’ EDUCATION
A mere examination of the raw data will help to identify the extent to which the current education system is oppressive, particularly for our boys. Currently, there are 150 high schools in Jamaica, of which 46 are traditional high schools and 104 are non-traditional/upgraded high schools.
Of the 46 traditional high schools, 14 are all-girls’ schools, eight of which are located in Kingston and St Andrew. There are seven allboys’ schools, five of which are located in Kingston and St Andrew. In upgraded high schools, boys significantly outnumber girls.
That trend continues up into the tertiary-education system. The high school dropout rate for boys is significantly higher than that of girls, many of the boys being from the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum.
PATH AND UPGRADED HIGH SCHOOLS
The vast majority of students in upgraded high schools come from the lower end of the socio economic spectrum. These students are usually filtered from primary schools and are not adequately prepared for high school. In fact, it is not uncommon for upgraded high schools to have more than 50 per cent of their student population on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) programme. The funds that the Ministry of Education sends for the PATH programme, notwithstanding the numerous grand announcements, are hardly ever enough to meet the nutritional needs of the students, many of whom are depending on the meal since it is the only one they will have for the day.
It is not uncommon for the school population in many of these schools to significantly dwindle towards the end of the school term when the PATH funds have been exhausted by the school’s administration.
There are also major infrastructure and resource constraints in many of these upgraded high schools. In many instances, there is a chronic shortage of furniture, which has been the cause of many fights among the student population. There are also issues with leaking roofs, poor ventilation in the classrooms, poor lab facilities, including computer, technical and vocational, and science labs. I have not even begun to speak about the working conditions of teachers.
Most students who attend upgraded high schools by virtue of the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE) programme are ill-equipped to take on the challenges of a high school curriculum and would have to undergo a period of remedial work to attempt to get them up to par within two years. There are also major behavioural challenges that the students come to the table with, which takes considerable resources to either curtail or correct. It, therefore, will cost far more to educate a child in an upgraded high school in comparison to a student in a traditional high school.
SCHOOL FEES
There is no doubt that there is a huge disparity in the access to funds between upgraded high schools and traditional high schools. For example, the Ministry of Education currently pays $17,500 per student. In addition, it pays an extra $2,000 for identification cards and other expenses for each student on the PATH programme. The average amount that upgraded high schools can charge for school fees is somewhere in the region of $6,000. Therefore, a school that has 800 students in attendance will be given somewhere around $15 million from the Government. In upgraded high schools, only a maximum of 20 per cent of parents make any contribution to the school. Therefore, a school charging $6,000 for parental contribution with 800 students will only collect $960,000.
Traditional high schools, however, are allowed to charge parents anywhere from $15,000 upwards. In fact, it is not uncommon for traditional high schools to charge in the region of $40,000. At least 80 per cent of parents in traditional high schools make parental contributions. Therefore, a traditional high school with 800 students will get $15 million from the Government. Using the lowest end of $15,000, the school will collect at least $9.6 million.
So while a school’s administration in an upgraded high school will have a maximum of $16.9 million at its disposal for the year, a school’s administration in an upgraded high school will have at least $24.6 million at its disposal. This is in addition to the fact that some traditional high schools have endowments and trust funds and big corporate donors to whom they have access.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Critical theory was used to assess the education system in the United States during George W. Bush’s administration. The theory stirred the consciousness of the entire population as it highlighted how oppressive their education system was. The response to this was social justice, which saw the birth of the ‘no child left behind’ movement. Social justice in education is essentially concerned with ensuring sustained equitable and quality-education of all students regardless of race, colour, class, or religious or sexual orientation. The federal government took the decision that the funding of education would be based on the principle of equity. Considerably more resources were pumped into certain schools as opposed to other schools.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Within the context of Jamaica, there must be a call to action to break the back of the apartheid education system that we are perpetuating and which has its roots in our colonial slave masters. Every teacher, principal, and parent must rise up and demand more from the Government and the powers-that-be.
There needs to be a national debate around the current state of our education system and what needs to be done to correct it. Frankly speaking, our local universities and members of academia have been too quiet on the issue. The fierce urgency of now demands that this issue be examined dispassionately and necessary steps be taken.
Sometimes you need a revolution to bring about a change.