12 | That's Wassup - Issue 6 - January 2014
FOOD, SAFETY &
LOVE
Among the three basic needs of man which one is more important, and how do we measure its importance?
Does food come first then love last, or is it the other way around? One way or the other, St.Lucian students are negatively impacted when they lack any of the three basic needs. On many occasions, students come to school without
breakfast, or may reside in “depressed” areas where crime is rampant. They may also come from broken homes. What
is being done to aid them? According to Mr. Hilary Bynoe- retired counselor at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College for 15 years- “while it is difficult, there are solutions to these problems.” He suggested that past students of the
schools should come together to make a scholarship or food basket to provide to students. He further stated that
lecturers and teachers should come forward and support those who are disadvantaged.
People believe students who are financially stable should be more focused on success, however, how can they focus
if they don’t have the basic needs or, if they don’t know where their next meal is coming from? Few persons can put
this behind them and really achieve.
SO DO WE PLAY THE BLAME GAME?
Parents are responsible for students’ issues; however, we need to be careful with blaming parents
entirely. Can you blame a parent if he/she is unable to find a job or has one more child than they
are actually able to support? No matter how many
children one parent has they work hard to support their own even if it may be difficult at times.
Do we make the children suffer because of rough
times for their parents? The blame game gets us no
where! These children are children of this nation,
and we have a responsibility to take care of them.
Heavy dependence on schools and government to provide financial assistance for parents/ students will exist. Parents and students
ultimately need to be more creative in order
to generate employment. However, organizations like the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC) which work hard to help individuals,
may need to do a better job in offering a way
out for these people. After these parents leave
NSDC what mechanisms are in place for them
to access financing to create employment?
Organizations likAe these need to provide more structures and support to people creating their own business. Let
them know they can access such support.
When asked the question “what should be done in general to reduce the unemployment rate and ultimately parents and students being better off?” Mr.Bynoe suggested the following
- Parents need to get priorities right and recognize the importance of education and plan for it
- Recognize that it is important to find self-employment and it is impossible for the job market to absorb all the
people coming out of school.
- More guidance for students and parents from organizations like the NSDC on how to form a business.
In St. Lucia, we can’t take a negative position on this matter. Humanity has always been able to overcome these
situations and Mr.Bynoe is sure that persons will take the initiative and things will get better. But it’s left up to us to
support each other.