I support the idea of free education, but

Aug 15, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

August 6, 2019 marked thirty-four years since the passing of Forbes Burnham. Glowing tributes were paid to him by President Granger, who credited him for introducing free education in Guyana, from nursery to university.
Free education, desirable as it was, turned out, however, to be highly deficient in terms of quality, as the performance of Guyanese students lagged behind their regional counterparts, with Guyana at one time ranked among the worst performing countries at the CXC examinations.
More than half of the students who sat the CXC examinations failed to attain acceptable pass grades. The situation got progressively worse as the economy deteriorated to a point where we were once ranked among the poorest nations in the western hemisphere.
The point I am seeking to make is that there is a strong correlation between the state of the economy and the quality of education delivery. A weak and shrinking economy impacts negatively on the supply of critical ingredients for education success, including a strong cadre of qualified professionals and other resource material.
I am not opposed to free education. I support the idea of free education, but unless the economy is strong enough to sustain the cost of free education, we could revert to the days when the quality of education delivery became a sacrificial lamb on the altar of political expediency.
Hydar Ally

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