“[…] Many years ago, the United Nations funded a parenting skills programme that was available free of charge to parents of high schoolers. Each participant was provided with a textbook and a workbook. The programme was run over several weeks. “[…] For one thing, I learned that values are caught, …
Read More »Early Bird: Are today’s fathers leavers of mothers or authors of gospels? And still mum on the subject of sex?
As a father of two unmarried daughters, Bobby spends a lot of time thinking about their future. His own marriage is almost 40 years old already, his daughters rather less. And, despite the evidence of a steadily growing divorce rate, his faith in the institution remains unshaken. The seemingly clear …
Read More »Dear Editor: Shouldn’t the media make the distinction between CXC and GCE grading?
‘[…] ‘Distinction’ is a term which was used in the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A-Level’ examinations and has no place or equivalence in CXC’s grades. CXC simply says that a particular performance was excellent. ‘CXC uses criterion reference assessment, a procedure that can be compared to having qualifying standards in Athletics… …
Read More »B&B (trailer): Michael Holding: Caribbean’s colonial education more damaging than lingering royal ties
Removing Queen Elizabeth II as your head of state is one thing, but iconic former West Indies fast bowler and cricket analyst Michael Holding believes a surer path to true emancipation will come when we address our colonial education. Look out for our full interview with Holding on the Burdie …
Read More »Lisa Allen-Agostini: A stitch in time; sew it begins…
When the Pandemic started and the world stopped, like everyone else, I was thrown into a whole new mental space. Unlike everyone else, I did not learn to bake banana bread or grow marijuana. But in mid-2020, I did feel called to learn to sew—buying a basic Brother sewing machine …
Read More »Noble: Wheels within Wheels; how crime flourishes with a malnourished public sector
Nobody wants to live in fear. Nobody wants to lose a loved one to crime or be victimised. The pain ricochets through the community as others experience the wrenching loss that descends on us in sudden ways. Most believe that the government is responsible for public safety. But our reactions …
Read More »Noble: ‘Bringing children back into school is not a simple case of opening the doors’
Education is an essential foundation of a society. Yet, the pandemic has laid bare the reality of our school system. Thanks to the Ministry of Health’s media conferences, we have been able to know the death rate and the capacity of our hospitals. But there are no comparable statistics available …
Read More »Baldeosingh: Education system deprives and abuses black children
“[…] The pattern here is undeniable: the schools with the highest Excelling to Academic Watch ratio are located in Caroni and Victoria, while the obverse ratio is found in the Port-of-Spain and South Eastern areas. The other six areas have more or less equal ratios of good to bad schools. …
Read More »Write Start: Allen-Agostini calls on young essay writers to develop writing muscle
The following is the full text of the brief address delivered by Lisa Allen-Agostini, chief judge for the 11-15 panel in the Write Start National Essay Writing Contest, at the prize-giving ceremony, held at the bMobile box at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday 16 December 2021. Also in attendance …
Read More »‘My story came to life!’ Wired868 Write Start winner, Shara Balkaran, blown away by Brian Lara
There was an unexpected touch of royalty at the inaugural Wired868 Write Start national essay writing prize-giving ceremony yesterday evening at the bmobile suite at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair. Parvati Girls’ Hindu College student Shara Balkan won the 11-15 category with a fictional story about how her …
Read More »Noble: As the rich stock up on guns and chariots, who’s looking out for our ‘Avahs’?
Emerging from the cocoon of self-isolation into the streets of West Trinidad has been a thing of wonder. Last week a Lamborghini, a million-dollar vehicle, was sighted in the WestMall carpark. Luxury vehicles of every brand, all less than two years old and costing more than three-quarter million dollars, have …
Read More »A ‘first gen’ story: ‘We sold fruits and veggies at the Arima market, so my sis and I could go to school’
My mother got an A in picking cotton and a B in digging yam instead of the Common Entrance Exam. Her grandmother (and primary caregiver) must have thought that that was the better use of her time. Can’t blame her though; she herself couldn’t write and had a thumbprint on …
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