Research school zoning properly
Published:Friday | April 12, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
The Gleaner report on Thursday, April 11, 2013 captioned 'Education ministry to seek consensus on zoning schools' drew my attention as an urban and regional planner.
The zoning of schools is far from becoming reality in Jamaica. Remember that Jamaica does not have a national spatial plan. In this regard, the spatial planning of our 10,800km2 land space is subjected to piecemeal planning and uninformed decisions.
A proper spatial plan must be done concomitant with social and demographic dynamics. The recently partially concluded population and housing census gives some indication of these dynamics and their effects on space.
Zoning of schools is not only about deciding where students should learn relative to their home base. It's more about eliminating inequities in the education system which continue to disenfranchise majority of our children and some adults.
Additionally, I am concerned that the discussion will be derailed by biased social and political interests. Let us not we forget that the country's formal zoning and land use practices are inherited from a colonial system that inherently sought to separate the Jamaican citizenry based on hue.
If we are gonna do this - and I believe we should - it will take time, money and a lot of uncommon sense.
EARL BAILEY
Wuhan, China