The emotional toll of political rhetoric on public school students
I am writing to you as a Year 9 student in the public school system, compelled to express the profound impact of the negative narrative surrounding our education recently propagated during the Cayman 2025 General Election. As I prepare for my upcoming CXC exams, which for many of us start this Monday, 5th May, I find myself reflecting on the emotional toll this rhetoric has taken on my peers and me and feel the need to express those publicly.
In conversations with my friends, I have heard expressions of shame and embarrassment about being a public school student to the extent that some students don’t even want to be seen in their uniforms, so they stay in the car when their parents make supermarket runs on the way home in the evenings.
It is heartbreaking to witness students who have worked tirelessly, earning impressive exam results from as early as Year 8, feeling as though their achievements are overshadowed by a relentless tide of negativity being proffered by adults who are meant to be our example of kindness, respect and dignity, even in moments of disagreement.
The public school system has graduated hundreds of students with eight or more passes, and many have proudly represented the Cayman Islands on international stages at various events, from sports to robotics to chess to service club events.
If you ask yourself and some of the older generation Caymanians, these types of representation opportunities were but a dream and in some cases were unimaginable just twenty years ago. Yet, in the midst of these accomplishments, the candidates chose to ignore the good that public schools have done and continue to do and, in many instances, could not find a SINGLE positive thing to say about the system. The very system that educated some of them and their parents!
They failed to acknowledge the strides made by previous governments that have benefitted us immensely including the meals provided at no cost, ensuring that hunger no longer distracts us from learning or the computers that allow us to produce our work effectively and the modern facilities that inspire us to dream bigger, even when the challenges of living on a small island can feel daunting.
As the election unfolded, the narrative surrounding our education system became increasingly negative, especially in the last few weeks, culminating in a barrage of disparaging remarks right before our CXC and other external exams that WILL affect our future — the same future they say they are fighting for on our behalf.
The truth is, the weight of this negativity has been unbearable for many of us. We are expected to perform well in our exams, yet we have been subjected to months-long campaigns that have left many of us questioning our worth, value, abilities, as well as the value of the education we have been provided thus far by virtue of being public school students.
While I am fortunate to have supportive parents with whom I can discuss my feelings and get the support I need to rise above it, I know that not every child has that safety net. The emotional damage inflicted upon my peers is real and concerning.
I must also think about my teachers, those who have given up countless hours of their weekends, holidays and afternoons to support us in every way possible. Many teachers have become parental figures for students, offering the only hug some of us might receive in a day or the only words of encouragement we will hear. Yet, their tireless efforts have been carelessly tossed aside in the prevailing negativity.
As I close, it is disheartening to think that the very leaders we look up to have not considered the impact of their words on the nation’s children. Going forward, I implore all who speak about our education system to think before they vocalise their criticisms. Your words carry weight, and the children of this nation are listening. It is our future that is at stake, and your words can either lift us up or tear us down.
Please remember that we are more than just statistics or subjects of political debate. We are students with dreams, aspirations, and the potential to contribute positively to our society.
Sincerely,
A Caymanian Year 9 public school student
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
The student is correct. It is a good system, and the former education minister should be commended! She placed a lot of emphasis on improving the system and from the letter, did so. To be honest, I don’t think the now education minister, on his last time, had a lot of success, but yet we thought to give him another chance. We’ll see if that pays off.
What I think it quietly highlights however is the lack of parenting, or involvement thereof. They’re quick to criticize and blame the minister instead of paying attention to the their kids and supporting the system.
Crack is whack
Can we all just take a step back and remember, just a decade ago if I told you that your computer could write you coherent essays and even hold a deep conversation with you, we’d all call it sci-fi..
Now we’re here arguing whether or not a high school student wrote this, or AI.
What a time to be alive.. it’s only just getting started. Give it 10 years.
It would appear that the salient points of the Year 9 Student (Y9S) letter have been missed or overlooked by many readers here.
The student did not write condemning the public school system, but rather, is calling on public figures to consider the effect of their words when they unfairly condemn the entire system in order to score political points. Y9S is emphasizing that such broad condemnations are unjustified, and is pointing out that students are listening and that their academic success depends upon being uplifted, not dragged down. Y9S urges a shift toward more constructive and respectful dialogue about public education; however, the latter point seems to be tossed out by a goodly number of comments here.
Y9S very eloquently voiced concern about the damaging rhetoric that bashes the public education system, pointing to candidates’ mindless spewing during the Cayman 2025 General Election. The student took pains to explain that this negative narrative has caused emotional distress among their peers–this being particularly damaging as they prepare for critical CXC exams. Y9S goes on to explain that because of the irresponsible rhetoric, feelings of shame and embarrassment have become common among fellow students. According to Y9S the timing and tone of the criticism from politicians, especially so close to exams, have left many students questioning their worth and the value of their education, with some students going so far as to avoid being seen in public venues in their school uniforms.
The Y9 student declared that the system is in fact producing high-achieving students and international representatives in academics, sports, and service, but is is disheartened that these successes were ignored by political candidates. Rather than universally castigating the system, Y9S highlights advancements like free meals, improved facilities, and access to technology: achievements of previous governments that have significantly supported learning. Y9S lauds the good teachers who go beyond their duties to support and uplift students, and expresses disappointment that these invaluable teachers have also been overlooked in the negative politically-motivated discourse.
Y9S roundly indicts the public figures who purposely and deviously fail to acknowledge the strides made by previous governments that have benefitted public education. From the many comments here that likewise apply a torch the government school system, it seems that many readers here have been well inculcated with the “public school is all bad!” propaganda and entirely missed the point that Y9S is so ardently trying to make: “Going forward, I implore all who speak about our education system to think before they vocalise their criticisms.”
Having said all this, the number of comments that run counter to the points made by Y9S does tend to point to one possible shortcoming in the system: somewhere along the lines, a goodly number of authors of comments here were apparently not inculcated with critical reading and reasoning skills.
Joining the bandwagon and calling this out for being written with AI.
I asked chatgpt to distill your generation and it returned this:
“The Year 9 student’s letter isn’t condemning the public school system, but rather urging public figures to consider the impact of their negative rhetoric on students. The student criticizes political leaders for using public education as a punching bag for political gain, which causes emotional harm, especially close to exams. They point out the system’s successes, such as high-achieving students and improvements like free meals and better facilities, and express disappointment that these positives are overlooked. The student calls for more respectful dialogue and a focus on constructive criticism. However, many readers seem to have missed this key message, highlighting a potential lack of critical thinking skills in understanding the letter’s point.”
For those claiming the viewpoint was AI generated, I just ran it through an AI checker, which you can do for yourself here:
https://quillbot.com/ai-content-detector
Here are the results:
AI-generated 0%
AI-generated & AI-refined 0%
Human-written & AI-refined 0%
Human-written 100%
Anyone claiming it was AI written please put up or shut up!
Far too many A$$holes (note this word was not generated from AI) try to cast aspersions (a word many year 9 students in government schools are familiar with) on young Caymanians who are far more intelligent than them.
there’s a simple and dead giveaway it’s AI generated. I’ll leave it to you to figure out what that is. until then, happy days.
I shall counter there is a simple and dead giveaway it is not AI generated. I shall leave it to you to figure out what that is. Until then: Happy ASSumptions!
jd here, since some anonymous CNS reader LOVES to call my name for AI regularly lately..
The giveaway is right here: ” our future — the same ” , if you’ve used LLMai for more than a day you know what I mean here.
The original text was AI generated, then slightly human edited by my analysis. In any case, I don’t knock any human who decides to pick up a calculator for help with a complex math equation outside of their ability, rather, I commend it.
You’re thinking A1.
It’s quite simple really .
The results speak for themselves
If it is good
They are good
If it is bad
They are bad
Adjustments must be made
I would agree with the AI take. I have not met many yr9s who use words like propagate, barrage, relentless, or even rhetoric. I am not saying they don’t exist, but it’s highly unlikely.
That said, if they used AI, they obviously created prompts that show they can manipulate it as needed – which a few people here would struggle with.
This student’s submission was eloquently written—and you’ve only proven their point by the way you’ve dismissed their words and accused them of using AI. Rather than engage with their message, you attacked its credibility, simply because you couldn’t fault the quality of their writing.
Instead of acknowledging that a Caymanian public school student could be articulate, thoughtful, and well-informed, you’ve chosen to appease your own shallow assumptions by declaring, without evidence, that the letter was AI-generated.
You vomited out your opinion to maintain your narrow, derogatory view of young Caymanians who didn’t grow up attending private schools. Because in your mind, how could a group of non-expat, non-white children possibly be capable of cohesive, literate thought?
AI detectors are not proof of anything. They’re tools with known flaws, and anyone parroting their results as fact is not just misinformed—they’re exactly what they accuse others of being: foolish.
I was educated in the public school system, and the education I received was excellent. Many of my peers and I could write at this level by Year 9. We were taught to think critically, write clearly, and speak with purpose—something that seems to be lost on many of the adults in this comment section.
And frankly, if this student did use ChatGPT or any other tool to help craft their letter? That’s not a failing. That’s resourcefulness. I’d hire them in a heartbeat over a few expat professionals I know who CAN’T compose a paragraph half as thoughtful or well-written while using the paid version of ChatGPT!
This student has a bright future ahead—and that’s more than I can say for the callous, condescending voices trying to tear them down.
Signed,
Another Proud, Public School-Educated Caymanian
Man, the view from your high horse must obscure how you read my post.
I didn’t accuse anyone, I merely agreed the liklihood of some text being AI assisted. I also asserted that if that’s the case, they have skills in this field.
As for a shallow assumption, errr, I’ve literally taught hundreds of public school year 9 students in different countries.
I have taught many excellent Caymanian students, and there will continue to be such. That said, it’s a very, very narrow band of year 9s who can articulate points in this way.
Anyway, since you seem to be missing the point, I’ll bid you a lovely day to you and your horse.
6:24…
You claim that “it’s a very, very narrow band of year 9s who can articulate points in this way”. I shall add that it is a very, very narrow band of year 9 students who would write a letter to the editor. On this lovely day, you may have just encountered both, wrapped up in one lovely and well-written instance.
While I know nothing about AI and I am not certified whether it is or not I will say that any year 9 student, who is attentive in class, reads, speaks and understand the English language, has qualified teachers to guide him or her in their studies, has parents who also have such qualifications will have no problems composing and presenting good quality compositions. I’ve raised four children who were all students of public school, graduates of prestigious universities and they all have great careers and contributing very well to Cayman. Perhaps you naysayers cannot truthfully say that of your students so instead of putting down the writer try to invest some positivity in yourself and those around you. Your statement plainly confirmed what the writer said, whether it was AI or not.
No year 9 student can perform 9283472 * 2938290 easily on a piece of paper, and you can doubt their writing ability, but yes, if such a student is able to leverage a calculator to solve that problem, or use AI to enhance their thoughts to get it across better, by all means.
AI is revolutionizing humanity and how it works. We should all be embracing it like the invention of the personal computer.
year 9 does not mean the writer is 9 years old!
Every single Caymanian should be demanding that our public schools be world class. Our tax dollars are paying for public education. If that education is not sufficient, we have to send our kids to private schools at an additional cost to us. If a Caymanian spends $100,000 for 4-5 years of private high school education for a single child, that is $100,000 that could have gone to that Caymanian’s retire fund or investments. And it’s not like those Caymanians that send their kids to private schools are getting any kind of tax break either. We all are still paying to fund public schooling whether we send our kids to a public school or not.
I ran this through an AI checker and as expected, it came out as 98% likely that this was written by AI, not a year 9 student.
No child writes like this or expresses themselves like this. Not unless they are very strange.
Sorry buddy but when I was year 9 (and younger) I could write like this. Maybe it was AI and maybe it’s not…but for the uneducated in the room: this is the writing standard that a year 9 student SHOULD absolutely be able to produce.
What’s strange is you labeling intelligence as “strange”.
this is definitely not how a year 9 writes… Let them try this on their first paper in university and see what happens. Every paper in University now gets checked for AI and if it comes out at 98% the student is in a heap of trouble!
There are now algorithms that make Ai authoring virtually undetectable from human authoring.
Advances in natural language generation have made Ai-generated text increasingly difficult to distinguish from human writing. Some of the most capable models can mimic human tone, style, and context with a very high degree of accuracy. Detection tools still exist, but they increasingly struggle with high-quality AI content—especially if it’s lightly edited by a human.
Ai detection tools are becoming more common in education; however, because of advances in emulating human authoriship, differentiating between human and machine authorship is becoming ever more difficult. All the while and with increasing frequency, students are being accused of academic misconduct involving Ai authorship
Lawsuits and formal complaints are emerging from students so accused, the legal actions often centred around undue reliance upon Ai detectors combined with a lack of other evidence and shoddy due process. The problem is that–absent an admission of guilt or eyewitnesses willing to come forward–corroborating evidence supporting an accusation of Ai authorship is nearly impossible to obtain. Schools that rely solely on Ai detection without corroborating evidence are on very legally shaky ground and open themselves to lawsuits.
Emerging, too, is a new cottage industry: human editors who, for a fee will doctor up an Ai authored work so as to render it undetectable as Ai. The last measure they take before handing back the work to the student is testing against multiple Ai detection tools to ensure it more often than not passes as human-written.
“especially if it’s lightly edited by a human.”
yes, like this comment. good job though. keep learning, and keep up ——- time waits for no man.
Are you another product of the Cayman Islands public school system?
The writing comes across as stiff and unnatural. Poorly written AI slop
1:40: If your first instinct when confronted with an ardent and articulate expression from a young Caymanian is to sneer and spit out “AI slop,” then it is not the writing that has failed–what fails is your capacity for intelligent discourse. That comment was not an academic essay, nor was it written for your approval. It was a student, speaking truth to power with more courage, clarity, and conviction than most adults ever manage.
To try to denigrate the message as being “poorly written AI slop” is not critique: it is lazy, bitter condescension thinly disguised as wit and wisdom. In so doing, you prove the student’s point better than they could ever hope for. You became the embodiment of the very ignorance, elitism, and toxic dismissiveness that the student quite pointedly indicted.
The Y9 student stood up clearly, respectfully, and bravely, for an entire generation, the value of whose education is being maligned by people whose stock in trade is not truth but promotion of ignorance. The best you thus far contributed here is a tired, smug jab that reeks of intellectual cowardice. In other words: you proffer reeking slop. That you attack the messenger is expected of those in the low end of the intellectual bell curve. The fact that you so slickly sidestep addressing the actual message says everything we need to know about you and your venomous and woefully ignorant kind: you are not interested in truth or engaging in intelligent discourse, you sneer from the shadows while others do the real work of speaking up.
So no–this is not a “product of the public school system” problem. This is a you problem. And judging by your comment, whatever school system you are a product of has reason to hide its face in shame over you and those like you.
Cope harder lmao
I ran your post through a lie detector and it came back 100% a lie.
My grandson is 10 years old – and a very good writer for his age. Doesn’t use AI.
There are some students who Excell in certain subjects.
Beautifully written. I wonder if the writer has ever considered the “emotional toll of political rhetoric on” private school students… aka (in large part) immigrants. I can assure you for every comment complaining about public schools there are 20 about immigrants, everything is our fault. No doubt the public school problems are our fault too.
Idiot.
Explain yourself? You don’t think immigrants kids pick up on the tone of political debate blaming them and their families for all of our ills? As for being an idiot, let’s see if you can articulate an answer.
@ 7:38 pm You assume that Caymanians blame immigrants for our inadequate public school system. I can tell you that many Caymanians come to the same conclusions that I have in relation to our public school system. Some of those conclusions are;
1. The segregation of public schools in the 90’s was a big mistake.
2. Caymanian parents need to be more involved in the decision making at our public schools and voice their concerns when changes are proposed (i.e., curriculum).
3. Our tax dollars would be better spent on faculty and resources, rather than pouring millions into new brick and mortar schools.
I called you an idiot because you assume Caymanians blame immigrants for all of our problems.
The OP’s letter and the reply you responded “idiot” to both refer to “political rhetoric” not “Caymanians” as you now assert. Perhaps some year 6 level reading comprehension would be in order before you call people idiots next time.
A well-written viewpoint. However, the rhetoric was aimed at the schools, not the students. The schools are failing the students, not the other way around.
If hospitals were described as failing, no one would believe the problem was the patients. That’s how to think about it.
But politicians should take note and make sure to be clearer in their statements to avoid the implication.
For what it’s worth, in my experience, students like you who excel in spite of a less-than-ideal environment, are much better placed to succeed in life than those who’ve only known pampered private school bubbles.
Perhaps Cayman needs an advocacy group in the mold of the UK’s 93% Club which advocates for the 93% of British people that went to government schools. https://www.93percent.club
The main reason we have an image problem is because we have quite the percentage of illiterate or deadbeat parents. Their children fall behind at school early on. A nurtured child will have much more chance of success.
In conjunction with the above, we have an education system that tries a new approach every few years, with many transient staff who leave because they’re disillusioned with the systems in place.
The author of this letter will be fine, he or she is definitely a gifted child, and will succeed. What schools need to improve on are the underperformers, and the bottom 5%, who are already likely to spend adulthood in prison, or having children in dysfunctional households.
I know of plenty of students who have succeeded at public schools. It’s what you make of it.
Like someone said below some don’t take it seriously.. but that’s because their parents couldn’t care less in the first place.
Cya lead horse to water and force it to drink, but some of these parents na even leading.
If you believe a child wrote this, I have a bridge to sell you (from Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac).
One of the issues with Year 9 students taking CXC exams is their relative lack of maturity compared to Year 11 students, who are typically more prepared for external exams. This maturity gap contributes to divisiveness in the upper years of high school, which is a common problem in the public school system.
Those Caymanians who have succeeded through the government school systems have done so in spite of it, not because of it.
More than half of every year group failing high school (before then spending a whole extra year at CIFEC to get the passes they need) is a clear indicator of a rotten system.
But but the Office of Education Standards rated John Gray High School as GOOD.
They obviously aren’t concerned with results but other things. SMH
To the student that wrote this, I’ll tell you that it is very encouraging to know that we do indeed have intelligent Caymanian students in the public school system. You are clearly a remarkable young person. That said, I’ll ask you a very direct question. How many of your peers will be prepared for either a job interview or an interview with an overseas university IMMEDIATELY upon graduation from a Cayman public high school? Are they as articulate as you clearly are? Do they display the comportment of a confident, intelligent person? Can they be engaging and hold a conversation on various subjects? Will they have the scores to get into an overseas university? If the majority of your peers are not ready for the next phase in their lives, then we have a serious problem and it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, the public school system, and frankly ALL Caymanians to fix the problem. Caymanians deserve better and we must demand better. Not only because our tax dollars are paying for it. But also for the betterment of our society as a whole. If the majority of your peers aren’t at your level, then you should be demanding better too.
Stop interrogating this student. Answer HER questions. You are a moron
While the local education systems do their best with what they have, the reality is that they do not compete at a regional level let alone an international level. Cayman is too small of a community with too strong of an economy to have mediocre education. I understand this student’s narrative – but the reality is that the education in Cayman is far from great. To be proud of what has been achieved thus far by students and educators is important – but it is also important to see the reality around us. Why do we have students coming into UCCI not knowing the BASICS of essay writing and how to structure an essay? Yes, we have students who are excelling with what they have – but the reality of the statistics is that MOST students are not. MOST students are not being given the resources they need – most students do not have the stability at home, or the resources at home, or the warm environment at home, that enables them to come to school and give their academics everything they have. I understand the frustrations of the students – but let’s not allow a lack of positive feedback blind us from the unfortunate reality that there are severe flaws in Cayman’s education system. I saw it when I was in high school- in both private and public – neither one of the educational systems prepared me to attend an international university. And I see this still happening today – students come to UCCI with massive gaps in their academic knowledge – knowledge which should have been covered in high school as the academic BASICS. And then, I see it furthered in UCCI with teachers who have suspect methods of teaching. I sympathize with the students – but I urge the community, young and old, to not allow emotions to get in the way of Cayman’s reality. I want more for my country than what it currently is providing my people – I hope my readers want the same.
Sincerely,
A young Caymanian.
@Anonymous 07/05/2025 at 12:29 pm – Clapping hands emoji! I think you’ve pretty much conveyed the sentiment of every Caymanian that wants our public-school students to have access to the BEST education opportunities possible.
whoever wrote this is bang on! As an employer on island, I see school leavers who cannot read or write, cannot do math or have no proper social skills- all things that should be expected coming out of high school. The scariest part is when the UCCI students come after completing a so-called degree and do not even know basic grade 10 math concepts. the youth get blamed, but how is it their fault? we as a society with so many checks and balances for really minute things have none in place for quality of education and teachers. I just do not understand the standard of the programs or the requirements to be a teacher. Perhaps we should look at moving on from teachers who claim to have a teaching certificate from a Jamaican college?
Pray all students do good.🙏
Thank you for being brave and speaking out💖
this young student is amazing! but the scores do not lie. this student is an outlier not the norm. IS it the student, the teachers or the schools? I would say a bit of all three. I have gone to multiple public schools, and for me, I would say that we need to address what we classify as teachers. How can someone who has no degree, and has not gone to a proper teacher’s college be a teacher? start there.
You are not comparing apples to apples. The private schools have the option of kicking out students who might “lower” their standards thus making for a false equivalence with test scores.
We have an old saying in Cayman “a bad carpenter always blames his tools”, so don’t blame the teachers.
I went to public school and I sent my children to public school. Not so much because I couldn’t afford it, but because it was necessary for them to mix with the people with whom they would interact for the rest of their lives. And yes, their SAT scores were higher than any of the kids in the private schools. That’s because their parents took an interest in their education, similar to what the individual in this viewpoint is experiencing.
What we are experiencing here is quite a few Caymanian families have become quite wealthy, beyond their expectations (while many still life in abject poverty) and somehow believe they can buy their child an education. Money alone will not educate your child.
On his/her current track, I have no doubt that the writer of this viewpoint will be successful in life. Should he/she become disillusioned, give up, and go down the road of drugs, there is still an opportunity for he/she and others to redeem themselves by getting into politics; one of the best paying careers to be found in Cayman.
@ Anonymous 07/05/2025 at 1:32 pm – You had me agreeing with you, right up to your statement about politics in Cayman being one the best paying careers. This, in my opinion, is one of our country’s biggest problems. Too many Caymanians see getting elected as a way to earn a decent income. They see it was a way to improve their own circumstances, and not the circumstances of the people who elect them. How many political candidates in Cayman have run for offices after failed careers or failed businesses or because they’re in financial problems? We see it every election cycle. Let’s stop electing career politicians and start electing people with a real desire to improve the lives of the people they represent. It should be about the SERVICE and not about the SALARY.
You had me agreeing with you, right up to your statement about politics in Cayman being one the best paying careers.
Unfortunately CNS still hasn’t implemented the sarcasm font.
I went to both public and private school here – I can assure you I can indicate on one hand the number of students who were kicked out of private school in the years that I was there and one hand would be generous in terms of counting. Explusions were almost always for serious behavioural issues rather than academic issues, to illustrate that fact I know students who repeated years due to poor grades multiple times, who were in summer school every year for their entire time at the schools etc. The idea that students are kicked out to bump up performance numbers is not true. The only way to realistically be kicked out of a private school based on grades is to combine that with behavioural issue or breaking rules regarding academic integrity literally refusing to do any work at all for example, or repeatedly cheating, plagiarising or something along those lines.
Yes, private schools can pick, choose and refuse to take low performing students in the first place but they have to balance that ability with their need to have enough students enrolled to pay tuition for their facilities and staff. None of the major private schools is operating in a manner where they are simply only letting in top performing students and refusing all others. In my experience public and private schools have a similar experience, every class has high performing students, most students are average and then there are some number of below average students.
Where students are denied admission, I would wager they are far more often denied based on a lack of class spaces rather than simply being unwilling to take a student based on grades. There are still plenty of students getting below average grades or failing classes within private schools because at the end of the day they are still paying full fare whether they pass or fail, whether they are the top of the class or the bottom of the barrel. The schools are not charities even if some are run by churches, they put economic considerations far above other factors.
You are correct that wealth alone does not indicate or predict academic success, but it does help, when parents can pour more resources into ensuring their kids get the extra help they need or can afford to pay for programs to prepare them for testing and exams etc. From what I saw the real cause of the discrepancy is that private school students are more often than not have more attention put on them whether that is smaller class sizes, or external prep and assistance. They often have parents who have the time and ability to assist them with their work or to follow up to ensure at a minimum they are doing what they need to do.
Schools full of Jamaican kids getting free education and health care. This needs to stop. Hardly any room for our kids.
To the student who wrote this: well done. You’ve put together a very good piece of work despite your age.
That said, we all know there are high achievers in the public schools. Go to one of the graduation ceremonies and you’ll witness the same 5% of the kids getting all the awards and that’s great for the top 5% of kids. Those top kids are going to go to top schools and get top jobs and probably be set for a long time.
The concern lies with the other 95%. Concern lies with the huge number of graduates who are deemed insufficient in their use of English and Math. Right now I have a graduated student interning who was asked to add some bills together for a sum. The bills were a $5, 3x$1 and a $10. He told me he thinks it adds to $12.
The rest of the bell curve is not where it’s supposed to be. The high flying overachievers are doing great and they deserve whatever accolades they get.
You are receiving a “good” education; we want you get an excellent one. It is the one thing the community can give you, that will ensure you have the best opportunities to build the life you want for yourself and (eventually) your family. Beyond that, I understand how you feel and agree with the views you expressed.
To the Year 9 author, you are a blessing in waiting for these islands. I hope you will succeed in everything you undertake and not be faced with rejection upon entering the job market, like so many of your colleagues will undoubtedly face. Hope you’ll never be ‘under qualified’ or indeed ‘too qualified’ for a job of your choice in Cayman. Hope a lower or higher paid work permit holder will never be selected over you, for any post for which you’re qualified.
Good luck with your exams.
This saddens me but at the same time it makes me so hopeful! I have been praying that I get to live to see the day that bold, brilliant, educated, capable, Caymanians speak up, step up, and take Cayman forward in a positive way! Thank you for speaking up and voicing the concerns of young Caymanians. Unfortunately Caymanians do not speak up enough and just let things slide! But I am hopeful that your generation and others to come will demand, insist and require, a Cayman that you all deserve, one that guarantees a bright positive future filled with unlimited opportunities for Caymanians! Remember that there is always a silent majority out there, who see the bright side of Cayman and the many young Caymanians who continue to excel and make us proud; we know that the power seeking politicians and their naysayers spew doom and gloom for one reason only…that is to “win” position and power at all costs! I apologize on their behalf to you, your classmates and teachers for their inappropriate words and disregard for all the positives that is praiseworthy yet blatantly ignored by them!
Keep your head up, young one. I’m a born Caymanian who went through the public school system, then went off to get a degree. Truth is, the “system” isn’t really broken, but a lot of students here simply don’t take their education as serious as you do.. Also remember during election times, mud gets thrown. Opposing candidates LOVE to bring skeletons out of their competition’s closet around these times every 4 years.
Also, I feel ya.. it took me leaving our islands until I realized people’s opinion of me didn’t matter at all – only what I did for myself and MY life. Stay focused, stay in school, and wear that uniform with pride.
oh hey! I went to USF too 🙂 I remember sitting in class and hearing someone ask a question with one THICK Caymanian accent and I had to approach them after lecture lol..
I feel like a lot of us went there. We should start an ig group or something.. Even for all Caymanian students abroad. Would be nice! Us alumni could offer big brother/sister support?
As a Caymanian parent with children attending government schools I am appalled that my kid is teased and bullied because he has brown skin and not black skin. Where the hell did this new level of racism in schools come from?
I sympathize with you and your child but, in reality, “shadeism” has always existed here. It is why you hear silly statements such as “those places/clothes/events too white for me”. Many grandparents and parents pass it down to their children without even realizing it (which is sad). As parents, it is up to us to not allow such narrow-minded beliefs to take root in our children’s hearts and minds.
I’m a graduate of the Cayman public school system and I can tell you that when I attended Cayman’s public high school back in the 80’s, some kids had ridiculous views about their racial identity. Kids would accuse other kids of “wanting to be white” for being studious or ambitious. This defeatist mentality has somehow seeped into the consciousness of some Caymanians and I have no idea where it originated from. As if being educated is somehow a white thing. We need to cut this twisted way of thinking out of our society.
If you look at today’s government schools they are populated mostly by non white kids. Look at private schools it is the opposite. We have inadvertently introduced segregation and the kids see it and feel it.
Jamaica.
Dem haf a bobsled team!
The failed public education system is not your fault.
TRUTH… it’s like Oil on Water… it always rises to the top.. !!!
THANKS, to the BOLD, highly intelligent, PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT, who chose to share TRUTH…!!!
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS should be accorded the ACCOLADES they deserve… !!! We’ve just heard from a Public School Student, who has done what many POLITICIANS fail to do; TELL THE TRUTH…!!!
60% of national results are below the required standard. That cannot be denied, hidden or minimized. We need to praise the 40%, certainly, but the rest needs help urgently.
50% of national results are below the median in every country.
Which is why the OP didn’t say median, they said ‘required standard’.
76.3% of statistics are made up.
Nonsense, it is 78.8%
Well said! We don’t all feel this way and some of us are very proud of you and your endeavors to better yourself. Remember this!