Carolyn Cooper | Kingston High School means business

Last Wednesday, 66 students graduated from Kingston High School. As I observed the animated faces of the graduates, I instinctively knew that they all believed they were "destined for greatness". That was the theme for this year's graduation. It echoes the school's motto: 'Excellence - nothing less'.

Established in 1938, Kingston High School has survived several incarnations. First, it was a senior school, then a junior secondary. It graduated to a secondary school. Next, it became a comprehensive high school. And, finally, it's now a high school. The changing names tell the story of precarious secondary education in this country.

In Jamaica today, social class often limits our potential to succeed in life. It can determine how far we reach on the journey out of poverty, how many steps we are allowed to climb on the ladder of upward social mobility. Poor people in Jamaica have a hard time even getting on the ladder.

ESCAPING HARDSHIP

Access to formal education has been the primary means through which poor people have been able to escape hardship. But the educational system in Jamaica has, traditionally, been very classist. And, to some degree, it still is. Certain children are entitled to secondary and tertiary education and others are not.

And all secondary schools are not created equal. Or funded equally!

So they don't all enable access to tertiary education. There have been at least seven types of secondary schools in Jamaica, of variable quality. In addition to Kingston High School's four brands, we've had all-age, technical and vocational secondary schools. It was not until 2000 that the Ministry of Education attempted to rationalise the secondary-school curriculum. The multi-tier system was abolished.

All secondary schools became high schools and, in theory, now use the same curriculum from grade seven to nine. But a mere change of name does not ensure an egalitarian secondary-school system. Newly 'upgraded' high schools do not always have the resources to ensure the delivery of high-quality secondary education. And some elite high schools still pretentiously call themselves colleges, mimicking British public schools. With typical irony, these British public schools are, in fact, decidedly private.

HEALING THE HURTS

As guest speaker at the Kingston High School graduation ceremony, I reminded the students that material poverty does not always determine our destiny. There are so many examples in our society of men and women from humble beginnings who have risen to great heights. And the sensible ones do not forget where they are coming from. They constantly give back to the communities that have nurtured them.

It is true that some upwardly mobile types suffer from a terminal case of social amnesia. Those who have travelled the farthest away from their roots are usually the ones with the shortest memory. They simply cannot afford to remember. The past is just too painful. They don't realise that going back can help to heal some of the hurts of childhood. They can invest in youth and make life much easier for the next generation. That's therapeutic.

Just down the road from Kingston High School is Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey. When I asked for a show of hands, I was surprised to see how few students and parents had visited the multimedia museum. Under the visionary guidance of the late Dr Donna McFarlane, this beacon of light on King Street has helped hundreds of children to appreciate the life and legacy of Jamaica's first national hero.

Marcus Garvey certainly knew he was destined for greatness. And he fully understood the power of positive thinking: "If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life." Marcus Garvey's upbringing helped to bolster his self-confidence. His father was a mason and his mother was a domestic worker. Marcus Senior had an excellent library at home and his son was always reading.

Garvey became a printer's apprentice and, in Kingston, joined the trade union movement. He took part in an unsuccessful printers' strike. All the same, he learnt the power of collective action. Garvey knew that in a world of racism and classism, poor black people must believe in our power to shape our own destiny. We cannot allow ourselves to be limited by white racist definitions of our identity: "Up, up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will!"

The acting principal of Kingston High School, Andrea Gray-Dwyer, is certainly motivating students to rise to Marcus Garvey's challenge. With the support of the vice-principal, Earle Pottinger, and the acting vice-principal, Cordell Knight, she is advocating a culture of excellence. So many of the graduates had high achievements in a wide range of subjects such as English language, cosmetology, biology, chemistry, physical education, geography, technical drawing, building, information technology and mathematics.

Mrs Gray-Dwyer proudly told me that the school has just been funded to add grades 12 and 13. So excellent students will now have the opportunity to study for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at Kingston High. The distance between downtown and uptown is slowly narrowing.

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.