...we must seriously seek to address the reality that poverty confronts so many Bahamians

Poverty hindering students
By ADRIAN GIBSON
ajbahama@hotmail.com


ALL human beings have certain basic needs--food, shelter, love and affection, respect, trust, knowledge and truth (Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs, 1943).

Without question, if basic needs are not met, schoolchildren are liable to display disruptive behaviour.

For instance, if children come to school hungry or are lacking affection at home, possibly from an absentee or abusive parent, they are more likely to be disruptive in schools and have a series of failed relationships as adults.

Poverty--described by Webster's dictionary as the lack of money and/or material possessions--is a major reason why many Bahamian students are performing so poorly academically.

In the Bahamas, poverty is a serious problem that must be contended with in our public schools, as many students are so poor that they live well below the poverty line. Although several public schools have implemented lunch programmes to feed poor students, many of them are so burdened by problems at home that their grades are often not up to scratch.

I have discovered that many poverty-stricken children come from dysfunctional homes, where their parents are usually unemployed, penniless and are themselves poorly educated. In many cases, students who come from single parent and/or abusive homes are often mentally and financially incapable of handling the responsibility of schooling. In more extreme cases, some children are orphaned and most likely must hold a minimum wage job to fend for themselves and, in some instances, their siblings.

To the casual observer, there are many examples of underprivileged children throughout New Providence--on the sidewalks (sometimes selling fruit, peanuts, phone cards, etc), at the malls and in tourist areas such as Prince George Wharf where these youngsters can usually be seen hustling visitors disembarking cruise ships for a dollar or a quarter. Yes, this is a sad reality in our present-day Bahamas!

At the onset, the disadvantageous impact that poverty has on school performance can be seen as children whose parents are poor are unable to buy school uniforms, books and other paraphernalia, lunch and other amenities, and are thereby placed in an unfavourable position when compared to their more fortunate classmates.

Not having food to eat on a daily basis causes the students to lose interest in school/education, as they are many times pondering ways of satisfying their greatest concern--i.e. attaining a meal--and possibly suffering from severe hunger pains (gas). A hungry, mentally disturbed and improperly clothed student's last interest is school!

Indeed, many countries are plagued by widespread poverty. Although the number of people living below the poverty line is not high in the Bahamas, recent statistics are troubling as they show that nearly 10 per cent of our population live below the poverty line and that one in five persons between the ages of 15 and 24 presently lives in poverty.

Around the world, particularly in impoverished countries such as Bangladesh and Haiti, a large proportion of these populations are illiterate and economically hampered by poverty--e.g. many persons in these countries work in clothing sweatshops for an average of 17 cents per week. Astonishingly, two-thirds of all children in Latin America reportedly leave school before finishing the fifth grade!

In the Bahamas, although a student is only legally allowed to quit school at 16, I have been told that many students, for various reasons, drop out much earlier.

Indeed, I have personally discovered that students affected by poverty lack the motivation to complete their schoolwork, hardly attend school, are anti-social and are sometimes violent.

Also, I've found that these students--who may alienate themselves from their guardians and teachers--are usually ill-prepared for classes, displaying poor language and reading skills and usually suffering from malnutrition.

In a Tribune article published a few years ago, former Deputy Prime Minister and St. Cecilia MP Cynthia "Mother" Pratt claimed that government schools in the Bahamas are becoming too expensive for poor students. According to Mother Pratt, if school costs continued to increase, poor people would not be able to afford a good education for their children.

At that time, she said that although Social Services renders assistance to poor parents by helping them to prepare their children for school, Social Services can only do so much. The former DPM stated that it costs $350 to $400 for each government junior/senior high school student to be re-admitted for a new school year--and she felt that many parents were incapable of this. I concur.

A few months ago, social activist and Workers Party leader Rodney Moncur raised similar concerns as he protested registration fees charged by public schools, arguing that these charges were illegal and further dispossessed already impoverished people.

That said, if Social Services are limited in their capacity to assist, what other avenues, besides the few church-related/faith-based feeding programmes, are available to poor Bahamians seeking help?

Poverty greatly hinders school performance. Unfortunately, the unequal distribution of wealth and resources around the world plays a major role in the illiteracy rate of people across the globe, even in this the 21st century.

Although education is an important facet to living in today's world, in families and/or societies that are stricken by poverty, attaining an education is not a priority since bettering themselves financially and having food to eat is at the centre of their attention.

In the Bahamas, a country where education consumes the lion's share of our annual national budgets, we must seriously seek to address the reality that poverty confronts so many Bahamians.

THE EVER CHANGING ROLE OF TEACHERS

The school is where the transmission of moral and occupational education, discipline and the values necessary for the survival of society are taught.

Frankly, the role of a teacher in today's Bahamas continues to evolve beyond that of a facilitator of social and intellectual needs and the maintenance of records, classroom organization and management conducive to the learning environment.

An educator today serves as teacher, role model, parent, preacher, doctor/caregiver, disciplinarian, motivator, police officer, mediator, guidance counsellor, etcetera.

Quality teachers are agents of change who encourage students to achieve their goals and a sense of autonomy whilst becoming dutiful citizens. Although there are critics (many of whom without the slightest idea of intricacies of teaching), teaching is one of the most toilsome and important jobs today, establishing relationships of trust and understanding and helping to foster the development of positive self-image and decision-making skills; assisting students with the development of their skills, competencies, values and preferences; and helping students to realistically examine their potential abilities and also providing clear, dispassionate interpretation of content/information being presented. Teachers continue to be one of the greatest facilitators of a wholesome community atmosphere that, in these times when criminal activity is becoming the norm, is being threatened.

To use the words of the philosopher Cicero:

"What nobler employment or more valuable to the state, than that of instructing the younger generation?"

November 12, 2010

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