Education should be #1 priority
MM writes (after submitting an answer to the CNS Elections Poll Which issues are the most critical?): I ranked mine as follows: 1. Education, 2. Unemployment, 3. Health, 4. Landfills, 5. Economy, 6. Cruise Ship Dock. Why?
1. Education should be first and foremost in any country – once the majority of a population (whether native or resident) is educated to minimum of high school level with honors passes, this alone will cause a positive trickle-down effect to the other issues. An educated population is able to retain employment or to provide employment opportunities through successful business ventures. Educated people/youth are obviously less violent and aggressive and therefore crime reduction will also be a result. An educated population is able to contribute well to the economy and reduce economical strain on the government with less welfare assistance requirements, etc.
2. Unemployment is #2 because the majority of the issues we face locally that result in unemployment could be avoided with a focus on education; there must be more importance placed on this subject within the home and within the government.
It is no secret that education and youth issues have been sitting on the back-burner since the 1960’s, when our own national hero Ms Sybil Joyce Hylton noted government’s abandonment of these matters even from that time. Our own government website notes on here short bio:
“By the time of her appointment, she was already lobbying government to rectify a number of inequities that confronted the Islands’ youth. Her zest for championing issues such as the need for a separate court for juveniles continued into her retirement, as did her lengthy service on the Adoption Board.”
You can read the full text here
3. There have been some horror stories about our local healthcare system, but we in the Cayman Islands must count ourselves extremely fortunate that our healthcare system is as advanced as it is. In comparison to others in the Caribbean region and worldwide, the safety of our hospital, speed and skill of our staff is incomparable. Surely, we must focus on constant improvement, and that is why health is #3. It is like when you have a car that is still running very well but you know that it could use a good service within a couple of months – now is a good time to start planning a strategy.
Also, I hate to say it, but it is time for our civil servants to contribute a few bucks to their health insurance. The financial relief this would give the public purse can easily be injected in to the necessary improvements identified as needed for the HSA. As civil servants are accustomed to not having to pay health insurance, I would suggest that they simply contribute a certain percentage depending on their salary bracket. MLAs should pay their health insurance in accordance with what is expected of employees in the private sector, or 100% of it would be just as good.
4. If we approach health as one of our top 3 things to tackle, this landfill issue would be sitting right on health’s lap and that is why I could slide it right in here at #4. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure – from the time our governments began proposing increased populations over 20 years ago, common sense should have rung a bell or two that our garbage loads would be increasing as well. The fastest and easiest way to make an impact on this issue (even within a year) is to strike a contract with a country that imports and handles other country’s garbage (and there are many).
Spend a couple million on a “garbage boat” and begin hauling this mess abroad in the meantime to reduce the amount we have to begin processing. This will create hundreds of local jobs and still be less than hiring more consultants and paying for tendered contracts that never come in to action. Every Caymanian dump truck driver would be employed for months, more trucks would be imported creating more gov income through customs and the economy would be stimulated by people’s ability to shop and buy, yadda yadda.
5. Economy – dare I say it? Our economy still remains one of the best on the entire planet. This should not be the top of any leader’s agenda because taking care of the other issues will allow the wheels of the economy to continue turning gracefully on their own.
6. For God’s sake lay off the cruise pier issue until you people can actually handle the other problems we have in this country! Leave our blasted reef alone. If it wasn’t for our ocean we would still be an unheard of dot in the dang sea (that, and our tax haven status, but we don’t like talking about that). And if the cruise pier is a must, then get one of the diving spot maps of Cayman and have a look at it and find a spot somewhere around the island to build this thing where it poses the least threat to marine life. I do not think the tourists care too much what end of a 70 square mile island they disembark on.
Category: Election Viewpoint
I don’t believe a new building at 100 million is the right way to increase children’s education. There are people in south east Asia including India and Africa whose children are doing a lot better then Children going to public school in Cayman. A building does not make good education. Good teachers do. If we look at the private schools ,we will see that the teachers get paid a lot less . The children do a lot better. Triple C school building cost was 5 million .
#1 Education. I really don’t see how we can get any of that bunch educated between now and the election date.
#2 Unemployment. The one from each district that gets elected will no longer be unemployed, but what about the rest of them?
Education – candidates should especially take note of the unfair advantage that Eastern District students have over the kids in GT and WB (Government High School Age groups). By June 2020, there will have been a 10 year anniversary of the site @ Frank Sound while students in the Walkers Road location will not have had access to new facilities apart from PE (assuming there will be 1 completed new building in place shortly).
Agreed that education should be first. But how do we convince the at risk students & parents that they need to do their part? That their future will be bleak without as much education as they can handle? How do we stop them thinking that Government must look out for them? How do we prevent some politions feeling that they are “helping” by giving handouts and arranging welfare?
p.s. – “hauling garbage abroad” is not as easy as it sounds.