The only?constant is change; yet as a people we often find it hard to adapt to it.
The recent decision to rename some of our schools and polyclinics after people who contributed significantly to our nation has attracted, not unexpectedly, the wrath and public condemnation of some among us. Here we are faced with a denunciation, which if cast before sober reflection, ought to paint a picture of the merits in such renaming outweighing by far any possible negatives.
We must be fair in our building of legacies to ensure that those deserving of honour, irrespective of colour or class, are remembered in a meaningful and lasting way.
Three of our secondary schools that each carried the name of the district or parish in which they are located were renamed. The Garrison and St Lucy now carry the names of outstanding educators Graydon Sealy and Daryll Jordan respectively, while St James Secondary School is named after Sir Frederick Smith, a former legislator, jurist and lay preacher. Others at the primary and nursery levels have also been renamed in recent times to honour the memory and contributions of those Barbadians whose names they now carry.
Then there has been the renaming of two polyclinics: one in honour of former Minister of Health Branford Taitt and the other after Eunice Gibson, a woman long gone, but whose name and contribution remains legendary for those n the nursing profession.
On close examination, the people whose names have been affixed to these buildings and given such significant honour have all made sterling contributions to the development of their communities and this country. In each and every case the honour was well deserved.
Yet, as we move forward, there are names of some of our secondary schools we expect will never change, because they are already associated with someone who would have been significant in either their development or that of education.
So, we see no wrong in areas of these schools being named after others who have made exemplary contributions at both the community and national levels. At Combermere School, without ever the suggestion of a name change, the school’s hall has been renamed in honour of legendary principal Major Cecil Noot.
What we must be careful to avoid is the tearing down of what is already an established part of our society as we seek to acknowledge outstanding contributors. Such calls for eradication are related to things particularly representative of – at least ostensibly – the slave era and colonial times.
We must resist such notions, as those markers of our past, despite the cruel reminders they might make, remain our reference points along our road towards self-development and nationhood.
All the more to fully accepting the exercise of renaming – where appropriate – to the honour and glory of those among us whose contributions exemplify excellence and national goodwill.
