Western Jamaica residents hold low expectations for 2024
Published:Saturday | December 30, 2023 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
With 2024 two days away, residents from across western Jamaica are voicing very low and lukewarm expectations of the new year in terms of various social issues being addressed, to include crime management, education, and leadership from government representatives.
The Gleaner spoke with several citizens who, while outlining what they think should get the highest priority for the improvement of life in Jamaica, were frank in admitting that they do not see their hopes for societal betterment becoming a reality.
Claudine Smith, a resident of Petersfield, Westmoreland, bluntly pointed to education and crime as two major longstanding worries that she fears will not be resolved any time soon.
“My outlook on 2024 is a dim one as I am in doubt that things will get any better. Due to the expense of education, many young people are not able to afford higher education, and then there are those who think that having education is a waste of time as they think, based on what is happening, that you do not have to be educated to be rich. They look on us who are educated and realise that we cannot afford the basic necessities of life,” said Smith.
“Then there is the crime situation that we are being plagued with on a daily basis. Since 2020, Jamaicans are begging for a crime plan which hasn’t been forthcoming,” Smith added, providing a fresh voice to scepticism which has abounded since 2017 about the Government’s plans to curtail crime in Jamaica.
Fellow Westmoreland native Ann Baxter was even more doubtful about the chances of national improvement for Jamaica’s various subsectors.
“I am not expecting better, but I am hoping it will be by the grace of God. As far as I am concerned, crime, education, and health are going down the drain,” Baxter said pointedly.
Jason Higgins, of Montego Bay, St James, was likewise concerned about crime and education, albeit from the perspectives of police resources for crime management and information technology (IT) integration for education.
“Mandatory DNA testing will never be a thing, and revamping of the (Island Traffic Authority) ITA process to cut down on ‘idiots’ [improper driving] on the road will never be a thing. Police systems need to be modernised with computers, because in 2023 there should not have had to be a situation where police are still taking reports via pen and paper,” Higgins said starkly.
Ironically, in 2020, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson had declared the end of the ‘big book’ in logging police reports at stations, as part of the thrust to transform the Jamaica Constabulary Force using technology.
“Also, they should get teachers from overseas, or retired teachers, to come to Jamaica and teach the next generation how to do electronic repairs and building, and to teach programming from early, because right now the world is moving to be even more IT-related,” Higgins added. “The earlier they start the programming training, the easier it will be by the time they get into college where they will have to learn this high-level stuff. Teach practical skills that we can use to start manufacturing our own things.”
Interestingly, during the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s 59th annual conference in August this year, the organisation’s president, Leighton Johnson, recommended that more persons need to take up training in specialised teaching areas such as metalwork and plumbing, in light of the recurring issue of teacher migration.