17th November, 2012
Hon. Nigel Carty,
Minister of Education,
St. Kitts-Nevis Government,
Church Street,
Basseterre,
St. Kitts
TO: ALL CARIBBEAN MINISTERS OF EDUCATION
Dear Mr. Carty,
Dare 2 Be Different International - www.d2bdifferent.com, the youth ministry that I founded and lead in our Island Federation of St. Kitts - Nevis recommends that some immediate reform be introduced within the Education System in St. Kitts - Nevis and across the Caribbean.
This open letter seeks to discuss one aspect that reform that our ministry is o deeply concerned about. That is school suspension. From the onset, I want to let you know that our ministry is pushing for the abolition of school suspension in ALL CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES UNLESS proper correctional facilities are in place for suspended students to placed during their disciplinary time off from regular school.
Sir, over the years, I have watched the Caribbean Education System further damage the lives of students who may not have been academically inclined like me or not properly trained like a low percentage of our youth now a days.
Why can I make such a bold statement? I can because I have seen it happen before my very eyes and I have to deal with too many of these cases as one of God's ordained servants around the Caribbean through our ministry. While school suspension may be considered a positive action used as a last resort or as a harsh alternative to frighten youth from repeating such condemnable offences, it is imperative that we look at the negative sides too.
When we sentence youth to two to three weeks away from school, I have a couple questions for you Mr. Carty.
1. Where do they go?
2. What do they get involved in?
3. Who monitors them?
4. Are they kept positively occupied and stay learning?
5. Does the Ministry of Education get a report of these students and ensure that they are not getting into trouble?
My ministry continues to carry out research on the impact of school suspension with current students on leave and with now grown adults who suffered terribly under such harsh, un-monitored punishment. We are carefully documenting and preparing audio and video recordings that include testimonies of suspended youth. We are doing this as we prepare for court cases to abolish the same subject under discussion, should Caribbean Ministries of Education not listen to our cry for help and IMMEDIATELY put in place correctional facilities for suspended youth. WE ARE SERIOUS. VERY SERIOUS.
Mr. Carty, can I paint you two or three of our most recent graphic findings of youths and one grown-working-adult-grandmother? These are all Caribbean people who were suspended and sent home for 1 - 3 weeks unmonitored in St. Kitts - Nevis.
1. A 15 year old girl said that she was sent home for 2 weeks. As a child of a working single parent with other siblings, she was left home alone while mommy went to work and her siblings went to school. With nothing at home to eat, she relaxed in her yard and met an overage gentleman who started caring for her WHILE ON SCHOOL SUSPENSION. She recounted that he fed her, bought her extra things and they quickly started a sexual relationship. She said that was her first time she had sex. It was a bit painful at first, she recounted, but after doing it several times during the two weeks off from school, she grew to love SEXUAL INTERCOURSE alot, love the mature adult alot and not many people know about the relationship up to today because the gentleman keeps it professional.
Who caused that Mr. Carty? Isn't it the Educational System that sent home the 15 year old unattended?
2. A 14 year old boy - suspended for two weeks too, recounted. "I couldn't stay in my house for two weeks - you crazy? I went walking and started chilling with THE BOYZ. Between me and you, I know how to take down and put up a gun all by myself."
If we hear the magistrate or judge sentencing the next under age boy who was probably suspended from school - whose fault it that sir? Who helped to create one of TOMORROW'S VILLAINS MR. CARTY? Unless this youth gets help, anytime I hear that he is involved in any type of heineous crime, I would blame the Education System. He was suspended for a fight Mr. Carty. Some fight between himself and a colleague. Fighting is wrong, but sending home a child to join a gang for 2 weeks is even worse. How much more money would Commission C G Walwyn need to fight the crimes of this potential villain?
Isn't it the Educational System that sent home the 14 year old unattended? Isn't it the Educational system that would cause the Prime Minister to increase the crime fighting budget? Maybe? ? ?
3. Thirdly and finally, a mature female. A grandmother now, who heard me talk about trying to abolish school suspension just today on my popular Youth Rap Radio Program on Dominion Radio 9.15 FM in St. Kitts (www.dominionradioskn.com) every Saturday from 11am - 12:30pm, spoke with me after and said. "Between me and you Brother Wallace, what you are doing is a good thing. I was suspended years back too. My mother was a working woman and my father did farming. My mother and father lived in the same community but not in the same house. Since I was home, I was sent to stay by my father and during that week, he repeatedly raped me and raped me and raped me." The lady started crying as she reminisced and a little talk had to turn into a counselling session and my anger erupted, prompting me to write this open letter sooner than scheduled.
Whose fault is it that this lady was raped repeatedly in one week Mr. Carty? Whose fault is it that her innocense was taken from her just like that. How many more girls have been raped as The Ministry of Education approves School Suspension with no Correctional Facility in place. She told me that her FATHER TOOK HER VIRGINITY. Isn't it the Educational System that sent home this lady as teenager -unattended?
I have dozens of these reports from around the Caribbean. I just focused in on St. Kitts - Nevis. I am DEEPLY BURDENED FOR OUR YOUTH SIR.
Some don't want to go public and others have consented to share should this matter reach to court if YOU - MR. CARTY and other Caribbean Education Ministers do not push for Education Reform immediately and put a Correctional Facility in place in all Caribbean Islands to help our youth.
Would you like to see this matter getting coverage by CNN and BBC? Would you like to hear youth sharing these cases with the world? What will the world think of our Caribbean Islands? What will they think of our leaders? Does anyone really care about them? Or is it only my ministry - Dare 2 Be Different International - www.d2bdifferent.com (Sir - Honestly, if we had the resources, we wouldn't even write, we'll build the facility ourselves and never harrass you again. If we get a donation to do it, we'll build it quickly, steel frame, to get it up fast and not harass you.)
I know that those who do not fully agree with me would say that parents have to play a better role too. Our ministry honestly agrees Sir. There is a BUT - A SERIOUS BUT. With Children getting CHILDREN. There is definitely NO TRAINING HAPPENING, therefore resulting in this type of abuse of school suspension. While I know that teachers can't do it all, I believe that if our Caribbean Governments inject capital into the lives of these at risk youths and build or implement some type of Correctional Facility, then our Prime Ministers would not have to keep raising the amount allocated to fighting crime in our Caribbean Territories in each year's budget, because we would have gotten to the root of one problem with our youths.
With a correctional facility (MALE & FEMALE) in place in St. Kitts - Nevis and every Caribbean country, this would now be The Dare 2 Be Different Recommended approach.
1. A child commits an offence that according to a Reformed Educational Manual is worthy for suspension.
2. Parents/Guardians/Child are called in to meet with the Head Teacher, Counsellor, Ministry of Education Representaive, Welfare Associate, Ordained Minister and an independent arbitrator to allow for full fairness. The matter is discussed. Parent/Guardian is given an opportunity to present a case to see how the child will be cared for, educated, fed, counselled 24-7 for the next 1 or 2 weeks off from school. If a proper option isn't presented and satisfies the parties involved, the child would therefore be sent to the MALE or FEMALE correctional centre to live in for the time off from school.
3. During the child's tenure, they will get 24-7 attention, love, counselling, training, guidance and get to complete all assignments from his/her school that would be emailed to the facility each day. Trained Social Workers would therefore provide assistance to such students. The time at such a facility would be very strict and ordered. Under such strict discipline, the child would understand the error of his/her ways and wouldn't ever want to return to such a facility away from friends, comfort of home and community. (Unlike our current deplorable prison situation, each youth correctional facility must meet international Youth Correctional Facility standards or cannot operate. This would ensure that youths don't feel incarcerated, but just cared for, disciplined and loved in facility)
This recommendation Mr. Carty is a much better alternative under a REFORMED EDUCATION SYSTEM and Dare 2 Be Different International begs for ACTION. YOUR ACTION?
Will you and your Caribbean Collegues act Sir? Or do you prefer to see more of our suspended boys start gambling, pushing drugs, getting involved in gangs and learning to use guns?
Will you and your Caribbean Collegues act Sir? Or do you prefer to see more of our suspended girls getting involved in premature sex for money or being raped by their older siblings and fathers while the act continues to be hushed down for money, while a child's mind is AFFECTED FOR LIFE?
Sir, I am not sure if the Harris' Home for Boys comes under your ministry, if it doesn't, could we have an update on this? Has it started? Do we have a timeline for completion? Could it therefore accommodate suspended boys too for the time they are off and we just have to build a home for girls?
Our Social Workers around the Caribbean that are working on this report have highlighted such homes in Jamaica as an outstanding program. Probably we can aim to model other Caribbean homes from theirs? I am sure the country won't condemn you and the treasury if the media reports read next week, "MINISTER CARTY VISITS YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES IN JAMAICA AS HE PREPARES TO LAUNCH SIMILAR ST. KITTS-NEVIS FACILITIES." We won't condemn your trip as a waste sir - we promise.
Hon. Nigel Carty,
Minister of Education,
St. Kitts-Nevis Government,
Church Street,
Basseterre,
St. Kitts
TO: ALL CARIBBEAN MINISTERS OF EDUCATION
Dear Mr. Carty,
Dare 2 Be Different International - www.d2bdifferent.com, the youth ministry that I founded and lead in our Island Federation of St. Kitts - Nevis recommends that some immediate reform be introduced within the Education System in St. Kitts - Nevis and across the Caribbean.
This open letter seeks to discuss one aspect that reform that our ministry is o deeply concerned about. That is school suspension. From the onset, I want to let you know that our ministry is pushing for the abolition of school suspension in ALL CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES UNLESS proper correctional facilities are in place for suspended students to placed during their disciplinary time off from regular school.
Sir, over the years, I have watched the Caribbean Education System further damage the lives of students who may not have been academically inclined like me or not properly trained like a low percentage of our youth now a days.
Why can I make such a bold statement? I can because I have seen it happen before my very eyes and I have to deal with too many of these cases as one of God's ordained servants around the Caribbean through our ministry. While school suspension may be considered a positive action used as a last resort or as a harsh alternative to frighten youth from repeating such condemnable offences, it is imperative that we look at the negative sides too.
When we sentence youth to two to three weeks away from school, I have a couple questions for you Mr. Carty.
1. Where do they go?
2. What do they get involved in?
3. Who monitors them?
4. Are they kept positively occupied and stay learning?
5. Does the Ministry of Education get a report of these students and ensure that they are not getting into trouble?
My ministry continues to carry out research on the impact of school suspension with current students on leave and with now grown adults who suffered terribly under such harsh, un-monitored punishment. We are carefully documenting and preparing audio and video recordings that include testimonies of suspended youth. We are doing this as we prepare for court cases to abolish the same subject under discussion, should Caribbean Ministries of Education not listen to our cry for help and IMMEDIATELY put in place correctional facilities for suspended youth. WE ARE SERIOUS. VERY SERIOUS.
Mr. Carty, can I paint you two or three of our most recent graphic findings of youths and one grown-working-adult-grandmother? These are all Caribbean people who were suspended and sent home for 1 - 3 weeks unmonitored in St. Kitts - Nevis.
1. A 15 year old girl said that she was sent home for 2 weeks. As a child of a working single parent with other siblings, she was left home alone while mommy went to work and her siblings went to school. With nothing at home to eat, she relaxed in her yard and met an overage gentleman who started caring for her WHILE ON SCHOOL SUSPENSION. She recounted that he fed her, bought her extra things and they quickly started a sexual relationship. She said that was her first time she had sex. It was a bit painful at first, she recounted, but after doing it several times during the two weeks off from school, she grew to love SEXUAL INTERCOURSE alot, love the mature adult alot and not many people know about the relationship up to today because the gentleman keeps it professional.
Who caused that Mr. Carty? Isn't it the Educational System that sent home the 15 year old unattended?
2. A 14 year old boy - suspended for two weeks too, recounted. "I couldn't stay in my house for two weeks - you crazy? I went walking and started chilling with THE BOYZ. Between me and you, I know how to take down and put up a gun all by myself."
If we hear the magistrate or judge sentencing the next under age boy who was probably suspended from school - whose fault it that sir? Who helped to create one of TOMORROW'S VILLAINS MR. CARTY? Unless this youth gets help, anytime I hear that he is involved in any type of heineous crime, I would blame the Education System. He was suspended for a fight Mr. Carty. Some fight between himself and a colleague. Fighting is wrong, but sending home a child to join a gang for 2 weeks is even worse. How much more money would Commission C G Walwyn need to fight the crimes of this potential villain?
Isn't it the Educational System that sent home the 14 year old unattended? Isn't it the Educational system that would cause the Prime Minister to increase the crime fighting budget? Maybe? ? ?
3. Thirdly and finally, a mature female. A grandmother now, who heard me talk about trying to abolish school suspension just today on my popular Youth Rap Radio Program on Dominion Radio 9.15 FM in St. Kitts (www.dominionradioskn.com) every Saturday from 11am - 12:30pm, spoke with me after and said. "Between me and you Brother Wallace, what you are doing is a good thing. I was suspended years back too. My mother was a working woman and my father did farming. My mother and father lived in the same community but not in the same house. Since I was home, I was sent to stay by my father and during that week, he repeatedly raped me and raped me and raped me." The lady started crying as she reminisced and a little talk had to turn into a counselling session and my anger erupted, prompting me to write this open letter sooner than scheduled.
Whose fault is it that this lady was raped repeatedly in one week Mr. Carty? Whose fault is it that her innocense was taken from her just like that. How many more girls have been raped as The Ministry of Education approves School Suspension with no Correctional Facility in place. She told me that her FATHER TOOK HER VIRGINITY. Isn't it the Educational System that sent home this lady as teenager -unattended?
I have dozens of these reports from around the Caribbean. I just focused in on St. Kitts - Nevis. I am DEEPLY BURDENED FOR OUR YOUTH SIR.
Some don't want to go public and others have consented to share should this matter reach to court if YOU - MR. CARTY and other Caribbean Education Ministers do not push for Education Reform immediately and put a Correctional Facility in place in all Caribbean Islands to help our youth.
Would you like to see this matter getting coverage by CNN and BBC? Would you like to hear youth sharing these cases with the world? What will the world think of our Caribbean Islands? What will they think of our leaders? Does anyone really care about them? Or is it only my ministry - Dare 2 Be Different International - www.d2bdifferent.com (Sir - Honestly, if we had the resources, we wouldn't even write, we'll build the facility ourselves and never harrass you again. If we get a donation to do it, we'll build it quickly, steel frame, to get it up fast and not harass you.)
I know that those who do not fully agree with me would say that parents have to play a better role too. Our ministry honestly agrees Sir. There is a BUT - A SERIOUS BUT. With Children getting CHILDREN. There is definitely NO TRAINING HAPPENING, therefore resulting in this type of abuse of school suspension. While I know that teachers can't do it all, I believe that if our Caribbean Governments inject capital into the lives of these at risk youths and build or implement some type of Correctional Facility, then our Prime Ministers would not have to keep raising the amount allocated to fighting crime in our Caribbean Territories in each year's budget, because we would have gotten to the root of one problem with our youths.
With a correctional facility (MALE & FEMALE) in place in St. Kitts - Nevis and every Caribbean country, this would now be The Dare 2 Be Different Recommended approach.
1. A child commits an offence that according to a Reformed Educational Manual is worthy for suspension.
2. Parents/Guardians/Child are called in to meet with the Head Teacher, Counsellor, Ministry of Education Representaive, Welfare Associate, Ordained Minister and an independent arbitrator to allow for full fairness. The matter is discussed. Parent/Guardian is given an opportunity to present a case to see how the child will be cared for, educated, fed, counselled 24-7 for the next 1 or 2 weeks off from school. If a proper option isn't presented and satisfies the parties involved, the child would therefore be sent to the MALE or FEMALE correctional centre to live in for the time off from school.
3. During the child's tenure, they will get 24-7 attention, love, counselling, training, guidance and get to complete all assignments from his/her school that would be emailed to the facility each day. Trained Social Workers would therefore provide assistance to such students. The time at such a facility would be very strict and ordered. Under such strict discipline, the child would understand the error of his/her ways and wouldn't ever want to return to such a facility away from friends, comfort of home and community. (Unlike our current deplorable prison situation, each youth correctional facility must meet international Youth Correctional Facility standards or cannot operate. This would ensure that youths don't feel incarcerated, but just cared for, disciplined and loved in facility)
This recommendation Mr. Carty is a much better alternative under a REFORMED EDUCATION SYSTEM and Dare 2 Be Different International begs for ACTION. YOUR ACTION?
Will you and your Caribbean Collegues act Sir? Or do you prefer to see more of our suspended boys start gambling, pushing drugs, getting involved in gangs and learning to use guns?
Will you and your Caribbean Collegues act Sir? Or do you prefer to see more of our suspended girls getting involved in premature sex for money or being raped by their older siblings and fathers while the act continues to be hushed down for money, while a child's mind is AFFECTED FOR LIFE?
Sir, I am not sure if the Harris' Home for Boys comes under your ministry, if it doesn't, could we have an update on this? Has it started? Do we have a timeline for completion? Could it therefore accommodate suspended boys too for the time they are off and we just have to build a home for girls?
Our Social Workers around the Caribbean that are working on this report have highlighted such homes in Jamaica as an outstanding program. Probably we can aim to model other Caribbean homes from theirs? I am sure the country won't condemn you and the treasury if the media reports read next week, "MINISTER CARTY VISITS YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES IN JAMAICA AS HE PREPARES TO LAUNCH SIMILAR ST. KITTS-NEVIS FACILITIES." We won't condemn your trip as a waste sir - we promise.
In April 1967, a year before he was killed, Martin Luther King, Jr. preached on the “fierce urgency of now” in a sermon entitled, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” It was in this speech Mr. Carty, the King Jr. called for revolutionary love, the urgency of change, and for
ecumenical world community. It was in this sermon Honourable Nigel Carty and all Ministers of Eduation around the Caribbean that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spoke about THE URGENCY OF NOW?
ecumenical world community. It was in this sermon Honourable Nigel Carty and all Ministers of Eduation around the Caribbean that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spoke about THE URGENCY OF NOW?
Dare 2 Be Different International’s – www.d2bdifferent.com questions to you are. When can we expect EDUCATION REFORM? When can we expect an end to or temporary halt on School Suspension unless Correctional Facilities are introduced in St. Kitts - Nevis and all around the Caribbean?
I beg of you Mr. Carty and other Caribbean Education Ministers. For one time in your career – please don’t be POLITICIANS but be FATHERS or MOTHERS and see where our ministry is coming from.
Sir,on a temporary basis, especially since our government and Caribbean governments are crying out to cutback, please provide FULL ACCESS to a building or buildings to Dare 2 Be Different International - www.d2bdifferent.com to implement such a day project until monies can be fully allocated to do such. (Can we get ALL the KEYS to one or two of our community centres or government buildings that are barely being used to carry out such a program?) All we ask is for you to pay the electricity and water and we will rally part time and retired individuals from our communities to HELP our youth.
We humbly await a CHANGE. We humbly await a response and would update the world weekly via the internet as to your response and that of your Caribbean colleagues as we do plan to get a copy of this exact letter in your hands before November 2012 is over.
Youths - Let's again be on the lookout to see if our Politicians - Our Leaders - Really Care or are just playing politics. Let's see!
Khrystus Wallace, President, Founder, Youth Advocate
Dare 2 Be Different International
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