Investigation into The Root Causes of Crime in The Bahamas is Urgently Needed

The Bahamas Government Can Best Prevent and Address Crime by First Setting Good Examples

Pursuing Sustainable Solutions to Combat Crime and Hostility in The Bahamas with a Collective Approach

By Dr Kevin Alcena

Nassau, The Bahamas

The Bahamas is grappling with significant challenges related to crime and violence, impacting communities and hindering progress within society. While legislation plays a crucial role, addressing these complex issues demands a comprehensive strategy that includes various sectors of society.

This article explores the key aspects of a collective strategy to curb crime and violence in the Bahamas, emphasizing the empowerment of communities, the establishment of a compulsory national service, the enhancement of education, the application of scientific approaches, and economic reforms.

Community Empowerment

Central to the reduction of crime and hostility in The Bahamas are initiatives that focus on the community, offering education, vocational training, and social support to at-risk youth. Such programs can divert these individuals from criminal activities by providing opportunities for positive involvement.

Furthermore, cultivating a relationship of trust and cooperation between law enforcement officials and community members via community policing can significantly decrease crime. This method promotes dialogue and partnership within communities.

National Service

Implementing a compulsory national service program stands as a crucial element in reducing violence and criminal actions. Involving youth in structured tasks such as environmental conservation or improving public amenities can foster a sense of responsibility, self-control, and collaboration. These activities not only equip them with skills valuable for employment but also open up educational opportunities, presenting a constructive alternative to criminal behaviors.

Education and Literacy

Ensuring access to quality education and literacy is vital to breaking the cycle of poverty and curtailing involvement in criminal activities. By launching literacy campaigns across the nation, The Bahamas can enable its citizens to pursue better employment opportunities, make informed decisions, and contribute to societal development. An increase in literacy rates can elevate economic conditions, reducing the desperation that can lead individuals to engage in crimes.

Scientific Initiatives

Investing in scientific research focused on crime prevention and social improvement can reveal important insights and innovative strategies. Utilizing evidence-based approaches is key in identifying the fundamental causes of crime and violence, leading to the development of effective deterrents and interventions. Collaboration among government agencies, academic institutions, and community organizations is necessary for creating tailored solutions that cater to the specific needs of Bahamian communities.

Economic Reform

Gaining a comprehensive understanding of both formal and informal economic sectors is essential for effective governance and crime reduction in The Bahamas. Meticulously recording economic activities, including those in the informal sector, enables authorities to monitor business practices and directly address illegal operations. Integrating informal sectors into the formal economy provides them with access to resources, legal protection, and growth opportunities, thereby reducing the allure of criminal endeavors.

In efforts to decrease crime and violence, The Bahamas must adopt a strategy that addresses social, economic, and administrative challenges. Strengthening communities, engaging citizens in national service, enhancing education and literacy, allocating resources to scientific research, and pursuing economic reforms can create an environment conducive to security, prosperity, and the well-being of all citizens.

The dedication of government officials, social organizations, and the business community is imperative for the successful deployment and lasting effectiveness of these measures. Through persistent efforts and a commitment to change, The Bahamas can establish a foundation for a future free from the scourge of crime and violence.

The Infestation of Crime in The Bahamas

Crime emerges from our lifestyles and the deliberate or inadvertent efforts by family members, friends, and acquaintances to hide criminal activities. Crime is a manifestation bred inadvertently by society’s actions.

According to the French nobleman Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), “Crime embodies lust. What would pleasure be without the thrill of crime? It’s not the debauchery itself that excites us, but the notion of committing evil.”

Former US FBI Director John Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) emphasized that within the upbringing and education of family members, it is crucial to “impart truthfulness to the children.”

CRIME: A SOCIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON

The term “CRIME” originates from the Latin word “CRIMEN” and is defined in BLACKSTONE'S CRIMINAL LAW BOOK as “the act of committing an illegal activity.”

The first recorded crime, a homicide or murder, was committed by Cain against his brother, Abel. Historically, crimes were considered sins. Hence, crime has existed since the sin of Adam and Eve and will persist till the end of days.

“Sociological” is derived from the French word “Societe” and the Latin “Socius,” meaning “Society.” The term “Phenomenon” comes from the Latin “PHENOMENON,” referring to “any observable fact that can be scientifically described” by humans.

Thus, when it is said that “crime is a sociological phenomenon,” it means that crimes are acts committed by individuals based on environmental or societal influences through the senses. Crimes are perpetrated through the senses of touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell. By touching and feeling, one can commit the crime of homicide, through sight and hearing, the crime of pornography, and through taste and smell, the crime against consuming drugs in all their varieties.

A super predator, essentially a psychopath, can commit heinous acts like murder and rape without remorse, believed to be due to the absence of a functioning conscience.

Most crimes, such as murders, rapes, robberies, and other violent offenses, are committed through the senses of touch and feeling. Crimes are classified as blue-collar, committed mostly by the impoverished, and white-collar, committed by those more affluent.

The notion that charity begins at home extends to evil as well.

It follows that parents, with rare exceptions, are not to blame for their offspring's crimes, just as political parties, politicians, or police are NOT responsible for citizens’ crimes. Nevertheless, the governing party, whether PLP or FNM, alongside the Police Commissioner, has a sworn duty to prevent, reduce, and solve crimes. The Attorney-General commits to prosecute all crimes committed by anyone, “without fear or favour.”

The ruling government can best prevent and address crime by setting a good example, establishing proper infrastructure like more entertainment and sports facilities, and promoting friendly relations between the police and the populace.

Additionally, everyday citizens have a responsibility to look after one another and follow the golden rule.

The perspective above is merely a starting point. Further investigation into the root causes of crime is urgently needed.

Not every perpetrator is apprehended. Many cleanly-dressed criminals, in suits or uniforms with polished shoes, walk among us in The Bahamas. The French Philosopher Voltaire noted, "If every man had to display his crimes on his forehead, he would wear his hat over his eyes."

Focus must be on: (A) The Resolution of Crime, and(B) The Rehabilitation of The Offender.

A systematic cultural shift in addressing crime, including the restructuring of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and establishing a commission to tackle corruption levels, is necessary for the Bahamian people.

This would inevitably foster a culture of respect within society. The government maintains zero tolerance towards corruption.

The Resolution of Crime

Two methods for resolving crime include: The Preventive Approach, and The Practical Common Sense Approach.

The Preventive Approach

The Book of Proverbs in The Holy Bible advises parents to guide their children in righteous ways, promising they will adhere to these teachings lifelong. In essence, instructing children to follow Biblical teachings, such as the ten commandments, love for God and neighbor, the golden rule, and manners.

Source

The poverty rate in The Bahamas increases

Poverty rises 3.5 percent

43,000 living below poverty line

By ROYSTON JONES JR.
Guardian Staff Reporter
royston@nasguard.com

Forty-three thousand people were living in poverty in The Bahamas at the time of a survey conducted in the first half of 2013, the Department of Statistics revealed yesterday.

The results of the Household Expenditure Survey showed that 12.8 percent of the population lived in poverty, an increase of 3.5 percent over the 9.3 percent of the population who lived in poverty at the time of the Living Conditions Survey in 2001.

The absolute poverty line — the minimum required for an individual to meet his or her basic needs — stands at $4,247 annually.

In 2001, the absolute poverty line stood at $2,863.

The latest survey was conducted between February and June 2013.

The results showed that Haitian nationals had the highest prevalence of poverty at 37.69 percent.

But Haitians represent 7.48 percent of the population, according to the survey.

While the rate of poverty among Bahamians stood at 11.14 percent, Bahamians represent 87.68 percent of the population.

The rate of poverty among people from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada stood at 3.36 percent.

Those nationalities represent 1.62 percent of the population.

Other nationalities in The Bahamas have a poverty rate of 3.69 percent.

Almost three quarters of the poor resided in New Providence, where the poverty rate stood at 12.68 percent.

The rate of poverty in Grand Bahama was 9.69 percent.

The survey notes the rate of poverty among the Family Islands collectively stood at 17.16 percent.

Director of Statistics Kelsie Dorsett said the downturn in the Bahamian economy in conjunction with the rate of unemployment contributed to the increase in poverty levels.

Unemployment was recorded at 16.2 percent in May 2013.

That figure dropped to 15.4 percent, according to the latest Labour Force Survey results, which were released earlier this year.

Although the rate of poverty among women was lower than men, women represented a slightly larger percentage of the poor, according to the survey.

Men represented 48.17 percent of the poor, while women represented 51.83 percent of the poor.

The survey indicated the number of households considered below the poverty line increased from 5.3 percent in 2001 to 8.7 percent in 2013, an increase of 3.4 percent.

Households headed by women, which accounted for 47 percent of all poor households, had a higher rate of poverty than households headed by men, according to the survey.

The poverty rate among households headed by men stood at 7.9 percent compared to 9.7 percent poverty rate among households headed by women.

Dorsett said the survey provides a comprehensive and accurate profile of the poor and the data is critical to the formation of policy to address the needs of the poor.

“It will also be used, I am sure you have heard Social Services talk about their conditional cash transfer program system, which they are soon to implement,” she said.

“This will guide that system, assess it and help to monitor that system.”

The release of the survey’s results comes amid national discussion over the likely impact value-added tax (VAT) will have on the poor after it is implemented on January 1, 2015.

Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis has said the cost of living is expected to rise by four percent.

Asked whether the poor can sustain this increase in the cost of living, Dorsett said the government has made presentations on how it expects the poor to be impacted. She did not want to comment beyond that.

Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin has said the government can “handle whatever fallout” may come from the new tax.

She said if the government finds that its efforts to protect the poor are insufficient, additional funding would be requested.

The government is in the process of implementing a new social safety net program, which is expected to streamline the assistance process.

In 2012, Griffin revealed that the number of people receiving some form of help from the government ballooned to around 10,000 people from 3,000 people in 2004.

The Department of Statistics interviewed the occupants of 2,123 households as a part of the survey.

Dorsett said her department hopes to conduct a Household Expenditure Survey every five to six years.

June 11, 2014

thenassauguardian

Poverty in The Bahamas ...is on the march

Poverty on the March

The Bahama Journal



Even as some of this nation’s elite classes now bemoan the fact that things are not as good as they once were, there are very many other Bahamians who are – for the first time in their lives – being introduced to poverty’s harsh lash.

There are those among us who could be categorized as ‘the working poor’ who are being troubled and beset by rising prices for practically everything they must consume.

Poverty is on the march.

This phenomenon is nothing more and nothing less than a type of social death on the installment plan where day by dreadful day more and more of our people find themselves reduced, diminished and humiliated.

It is perhaps this factor – among others such – that might explain some of the rage that currently saturates social life in not only today’s Bahamas; but that of any number of other societies in our region.

While most Bahamians are fixated on the extent to which enraged Bahamians are turning their pent-up wrath on each other; there are other Bahamians – ourselves included – who are focused on other matters that seem more germane to the lives of the vast majority of their fellow-Bahamians.

While some of these matters are not usually discussed when reference is made to crime and violence; we do believe that there is space in that dialogue for a closer look at the violence done practically everyone by the rising cost of living.

Put otherwise, there is currently at work a macabre kind of backward-strutting dance where tens of thousands of hard-working Bahamians know that the harder they work, the less money they will have.

This is due to the fact that – even as they toil and labour – the cost of everything that matters goes ever upward.

Today very many Bahamians who now find themselves crushed underfoot now cry out to high heaven for relief.

Just a few short weeks ago, some of these people dared think that their cast votes could – at long last – make the difference they thought would matter for them.

Just a few short weeks ago, this nation’s streets were festooned with the eager faces of politicians on the make; and did they lavish praise on themselves?!

Of course, they did.

This is the way politicians always do what they believe they must in their perfervid effort to get as many to follow their lead.

This kind of hyperbole is the kind of stuff, these types always do.

Things always have a way of returning to reality on the morning after.

In a sense, then, we are now all living on the morning after.

It is therefore as clear as ever that the current administration has in their possession no magic bullet; that very many of this nation’s children are being abused; that unemployment is still far too high – and that far too many rapists are up and doing the things they always do; they are out there raping.

The killers are still doing their thing.

Far too many of this nation’s children are schooled and educated in comfort while others are left to fend for themselves in places where gun-fire is heard regularly.

These children deserve better.

Sadly, they may be in for worse piled upon even more of the same.

Information reaching us speaks a story of horror, neglect and indecisiveness as regards the current state of affairs in any number of public schools which are bulging to the point of bursting their banks with students.

Today we have schools where classrooms are chock-full of students – many of them at the primary level – where only so many can ever really benefit; and so the beat continues for hundreds upon untold hundreds of this nation’s youth.

This is no basis upon which we can ever even hope to build a thriving Bahamian Nation.

Scarier than this is this sad fact of life: – This nation’s children deserve far better than they are presently getting from their parents, their pastors and their parents’ representatives in parliament.

As for these hard-working people, lowering the cost of living could and should be one of this new administration’s highest priorities.

To this point in their ruler-ship, we are yet to be convinced that they are up to this challenge. But yet, we live in hope.

October 04, 2012

Jones Bahamas

Caribbean Blog International

The social climate in The Bahamas is one that lends itself to violence... Poverty, frustration due to the lack of opportunity and creative outlets, alcohol and marijuana abuse, verbal and physical abuse as a means of rearing children, noise and dirt, poor educational achievement, weak state regulation of an array of activities, unemployment, poor housing, and widespread corruption create an enabling environment for criminality

Gangster’s Paradise Part 4

By Ian G. Strachan

Thirty-eight years after independence, we are (in the net) not much better off as a people.  Despite all of our blessings, we have squandered many of the gifts and have not achieved our national potential.  We are living in an era, a time; we are experiencing a moment in this civilization’s history when we are obliged to stop, to reflect, to take note and to question all that we have thought to be right and true.  We must look critically and honestly at our current course, define our preferred destination and reset our course. - Senator Dr. Duane Sands, October 26, 2011

 

Senator Dr. Duane Sands’ words strike the right chord but they, in the end, are just words.  We face a situation that is far more troubling than those who want our votes will ever admit to.   When I speak to people who know, people who have seen the underbelly of this country up close, they tell me the system, from top to bottom, is plagued by corrupt players.  Where then is the hope?

Certainly we must root out corruption; certainly we must do our best to police neighborhoods, as well as stop and punish criminals, but we must also understand that our greatest hope is in prevention.   I noted last week that I would focus on seven areas.  First we looked at social justice and inequality, at education and at parenting.  We continue now with four more areas of concern.

Discipline and order

The social climate in The Bahamas is one that lends itself to violence.  Poverty, frustration due to the lack of opportunity and creative outlets, alcohol and marijuana abuse, verbal and physical abuse as a means of rearing children, noise and dirt, poor educational achievement, weak state regulation of an array of activities, unemployment, poor housing, and widespread corruption create an enabling environment for criminality.  Bahamians need discipline.  We are an unruly people, accustomed to ad hoc approaches and shortcuts, bribery and curry favoring.  We want punishment doled out for gross offenses like murder, but by and large we want to be left alone to duck taxes, steal by way of employment, buy stolen goods, hire illegal immigrants, break traffic laws, keep a filthy yard, etc.… How do we “reset our course”?

Here are some suggestions.  I’m sure you can think of others.  These will have a cumulative effect on the psyche of Bahamians:

· Legalize and regulate Numbers.   Government should even consider a complete takeover of the industry.  If not, it should heavily tax it and control the number of outlets, hours of operation, and the zones in which they are allowed to operate locations.  Begin seriously educating the public (starting with kids) on the follies of gambling.  Establish services for gambling addicts.

· Bring bars and nightclubs under tighter regulation.   Reduce the number of liquor outlets and control where they can be located.  Strictly enforce the legal drinking age.  Raise the age.  Prohibit the sale of alcohol on Sunday.  Close all bars and clubs at 1 a.m. and heavily police them at closing time.  Include breathalyzer tests in road block inspections.   Increase taxes on alcohol.

· Introduce a unified bus system, including dedicated school buses.  Bring all public buses on strict regulation and management and have them run on a schedule.  Remove loud music from buses.

· Increase the number of public/environmental health inspectors to ensure sanitary conditions of homes and yards with a system of warnings and fines for homeowners and landlords who do not ensure proper sewage disposal or proper garbage containment and collection, and who do not remove derelict vehicles and debris, or who have overgrown yards.

· Crack down on noise makers: whether they are private cars, public buses, corner prayer meetings or bars trying to attract customers.

· Introduce cameras that can catch people driving without seat belts, running lights, riding without helmets or skirting through gas stations to avoid stopping.

Community development

· Follow the recommendation of the 1994 Task Force on Youth Development and establish a network of community centers in every constituency.  Use church spaces or schools after hours.  Provide tutoring, sports leagues for all ages, adult literacy, life-long learning, and Big Brother/Big Sister programs.  Fund these centers through the Ministries of Youth and Education, churches and area businesses.  Take funds for constituencies out of MPs hands and put it in the hands of local boards that can govern and run these community centers.

· Increase funding for all existing outreach and youth organizations, such as Boys Brigade, Scouts, Brownies, Island Stewards, Focus etc.  These groups shouldn’t have to beg for money each year.  Demand data collection and longitudinal studies to track the careers of children in such programs, to ensure that support is justifiable through evidence which proves they prevent delinquency and violent behavior.  (Revisiting the work of Safe Bahamas might be a good start).

· Government should make it a point, through the Ministry of Youth and Culture, or National Security or Social Development, to assist with technical support and funding, in the creation of a Neighborhood Improvement Association in every New Providence neighborhood.  Neighborhood churches can also be enlisted.  These organizations can help police, and help maintain clean neighborhoods and build community cohesion.    They can also lend support to the vulnerable in their midst.  Sadly, most communities will not do this work on their own.  Leadership and support are needed.

Manhood

At some point this country must acknowledge that the problem of violent crime and crime against the person and property is a male problem.  Males are almost always the perpetrators.  To address crime then, address the socialization and education of males; and we must focus intently on identity formation among boys.  Media images and social mores support a version of manhood that is in many ways destructive and anti-social.  This is at the heart of male violence, male academic underachievement, male disengagement from civil society, male absence from the lives of children, male violence toward women and children, and the pressures on males to rob, steal and deal to acquire and maintain female affections.

Criminal justice

Some cry out for hanging.   Hanging does not deter crime.  As Irwin Waller, author of “Less Law, More Order”, notes, “The rates of homicide are unaffected by whether capital punishment is used or not.  For instance, the rate of decline in rates of homicide in the United States has been similar to that in Canada since 1976 when the United States reinstated the use of the death penalty and Canada took it out of its criminal code.”

I understand the call for the death penalty in a society where 95 percent of the murders between 2005 and 2009 went unpunished by the time of Chaswell Hanna’s 2011 study.  People want to see murderers punished, even more than they want future murderers deterred.  The bitter truth is most crimes (of whatever sort) in this country will forever remain unpunished.  I repeat therefore that our greatest hope is prevention.

Nonetheless, I believe that there is value in making an example of those you do capture and convict.  I believe in reform, but I also believe in appropriate punishment and restorative justice.   Victims, in my view, are best served when their victimizers are made to repay and must face those they made suffer.

I support life sentences for murder (30 years minimum).  Give the murderer no choice but to live with the consequences of his actions; the death penalty in my view is an easy out.  While in prison, make the lifer work for the state and for the victims.  Give him every opportunity to contribute to the society he attempted to destroy.

I also believe we need a national conversation about sentencing.  It should not be left solely to political parties and their MPs to decide.  A recent sentence handed down on a notorious trafficker left me stunned.  The Americans must think we are ridiculous.

We must decriminalize drug use (marijuana and cocaine), and approach these phenomenon as public health issues.  However, since the U.S. may never end the prohibition on these substances, we must get serious about sentencing traffickers.  The danger of course is that cracking down on traffickers doesn’t do away with the traffic; it in fact promotes more violent crime as new players and rivalries over turf emerge.  Which brings us right back to education, social justice, parenting, the economy, etc.

As we crack down on drug traffickers we must ask ourselves this: if possession of a firearm is four years (the public thinks this is too mild by the way), how much do you give the gun trafficker?

If we want to be tougher on crime, we must also be tougher on those who are supposed to uphold the law but instead pervert it.  All judges and magistrates should be appointed through public hearings and their finances should be scrutinized annually.  The same for high ranking policemen and defense force officers; customs, immigration and prison officials; and those who work for the AG’s Office.  They should also all be subject to random drug tests.

In the end, so many of these suggestions come down to one thing: money, money, money, and that is in seriously short supply in this country.  But more than money, it speaks to will, courage, and character.  Are we prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that in 10 to15 years we have a more peaceful, more orderly country than we do today?  If so, we must all make sacrifices, and we must all share the burden.  Otherwise, we’ll continue on our current “course” – anything buckup go.

Nov 14, 2011

Gangster’s Paradise Part 3

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

...this is the right time for Bahamians to do better

Resolving to Do Better
The Bahama Journal Editorial



As this opens on a truly bloody note, some of our people yet stand, pray and hope for the coming of a better day; and for sure, some of these people have made it their sworn resolve to do their part in making this a reality.

We so swear.

Sadly, some others can be expected to do as they always have; which is that they will carry on as if there was no tomorrow. And so, barring some miracle, there will remain that primordial struggle between good and evil.

For our part, we would like to have a situation where more Bahamians could come to see the wisdom in so comporting themselves - that they – quite literally - love their neighbors as they love themselves.

Were they to move in this direction – that is of forging a greater sense of community- they would see to it that this great little nation that is ours would love and care for all its children; take care of their elders and otherwise work to make this place safer and healthier.

Evidently, things are today tending in the direction of disaster.

This trend can and should be reversed.

Yet again, this requires purposeful action.

And so we would dare suggest that Bahamians should – as Booker T. Washington once suggested – put their buckets down wherever they happen to be.

As a consequence, then, when it comes to schooling, we would like to see a situation where schools are put on a path where they can act in place of the parent; thus gearing themselves to really being and becoming places of respite and civility – incubators of a new and better Bahamas; this instead of the brutal spaces that some have become in these hard times.

Indeed, when we reference how Bahamians might wish to become more introspective, attentive should also be put on the way we worship, how we serve and the witness we bring – as believers- to the challenge of living in a time and in a place where sin and crime abound.

And for sure, here we must reference the stark contrast between the adornment of certain places of worship and the social degradation that is to be found on some of our nation’s main thoroughfares –some of them places where the hungry, the demented and the homeless wander about as so much human riff-raff.

This is an abomination.

Indeed, we would also mention – in the same vein- that there are circumstances and situations where wealth and poverty obscenely cavort; with the rich and the powerful very often oblivious to the sad situation facing some of their countrymen.

Yet again, there can and should be some resolve for those who have eyes to see, to do just that: open their eyes to the poverty and distress around them.

As true too is the fact that some of our fellow-Bahamians are today ill as a result of choices they have made. But chosen or not, these people still need assistance. And for sure, there can and should be some resolve in the coming year for them to get the help they need so that they could keep body and soul together.

Here take note that even as we note that people should take some major part in their own struggles, we note also that – as social animals - human beings must rely on others – whether these others happen to be family, neighbors or friends.

And just as true happens to be the fact that once an administration is sworn in, it is obliged – under the law – to govern in a true and good manner on behalf of all the people.

With this as guiding principle, then, there should be in the year that is ahead some resolve on the part of those who would lead to go beyond what seems to be a built in tendency towards tribalism and a winner-take all mentality in how we run things.

Such a resolve should imply that matters that are social in nature –like crime - should not be so treated that they become political footballs; with name-calling and finger pointing thrown in for good measure.

And yet again – as far as resolutions go- some major effort must be undertaken to so overhaul the nation’s criminal justice system that when people are charged for them to be brought to justice sooner rather than later.

Evidently, here resolve must be matched by requisite action. And for sure, if there are costs that must be made, Bahamians must resolve – as a people- to pay for whatever they get.

In the absence of such a commitment, they would be doing little more than wishing and hoping on a dream.

In truth, this is the right time for Bahamians to do better.

They should and they can.

January 27, 2011

The Bahama Journal Editorial

Bahamas Blog International

...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

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International