The Editor, Sir:

There is no question that there is unequal access to quality education in Jamaica. Even with the mostly anecdotal data from which we extrapolate to talk about unequal educational outcomes, we know that rural and low-income students constantly get the short end of the stick: fewer educational resources, declining educational facilities, poorly trained teachers, lower academic content, lower expectations, less respect from teachers and peers. Like so many arenas of social life here in Jamaica, there is simply no tacit acceptance of the right to a good-quality education.

It is in this vein that I read The Sunday Gleaner and encountered the words of a "disappointed Loreen Aljoe, principal of the three-year-old [Rhodes Hall High] school" who has been given a "school which has five state-of-the-art science laboratories, two computer rooms and a well-designed layout - a well-equipped school" but who does not want to "waste" these resources on students who she sees as not worthy of them.

Apparently, Principal Aljoe does not know that the quality of the learning environment has a direct effect on students' learning experiences. If she listened to the stories of other principals and teachers who talk about the challenges of educating children under the most dire circumstances, she would recognise that there are many other schools, some mentioned in The Sunday Gleaner's coverage, who would want even one-tenth of the resources she has been given. What is a blessing is being treated with much disdain because of her sense of entitlement to having "good" students. Indeed, all of our students should have, and are entitled to, access to this kind of education environment.

Nor does Principal Aljoe seem to recognise that, perhaps, it is not the students who are flawed, but a system, complete with instructors who are not interested in investing their students with value and helping students to uncover their hidden talents, even in difficult circumstances. Instead, Jamaican teachers, even by Principal Aljoe's admission, seem to be more comfortable with taking credit for students' academic success that comes directly from their own high regard for people who come from and reflect middle-class backgrounds. It is not surprising then, that students who don't do well at the primary level are written off by the very teachers themselves, damning them to "vocational" status, thus helping to produce the very skewed educational outcomes that we have come to expect.

Contrary to her claim, Principal Aljoe has not been given basket to carry water; she has been given a solid, uncontaminated barrel that can hold and produce more than she even imagines.

Ironically, this school also provides an excellent test for what happens when the resource issue is resolved, and allow us to see the effects of educators' expectations more clearly.

It is now for Principal Aljoe to decide how she will re-orient her and the other teachers' values and attitudes so that she can use the resources she has to unveil the untapped potential of the students who will enter the doors of Rhodes Hall in September.

She and other principals need to be reminded that the children who will enter those doors are not damaged goods, leftovers or spoils. They are our future generation, brimming with promise as they walk into these institutions with excitement and anxiety, believing that all the teachers have their best interests at heart. It is our teachers and principals who can either ignite or kill our children's joy for learning, based on how they approach their responsibilities as educators. Here's hoping Principal Aljoe and her crew of teachers have a serious change of heart between now and September.

I am, etc.,

VERNA KITSON

vernakitson@gmail.com

Montego Bay