IN THE WEEKEND NATION of January 22, the mother of a secondary school student is reported to have objected to her daughter being asked to dispose of a piece of litter on the school compound, because “picking up any form of garbage was not part of the Ministry of Education’s curriculum”.
I fully support the principal’s stance but I do not blame the student entirely because parents with negative attitudes pass them on to their children, and the attitude displayed by this student would have been instilled long before this incident took place.
Many Barbadians have an aversion to picking up litter, theirs as well as that of other people. They think it is beneath them to do so. Contrast this with the laudable effort of a very patriotic Barbadian couple, Mr and Mrs Niblock, who are seen picking up litter practically every morning on Browne’s Beach. They told me that since Browne’s Beach is rated internationally as one of the best beaches it should be kept clean for visitors and locals.
People who are self- confident and have high self-esteem can do any job and still feel good about themselves because a job to them is something they do and has nothing to do with who they are. The job does not define them. People who see certain jobs as demeaning usually have a false sense of pride which makes them “too proud” to be seen doing a simple thing like picking up a piece of litter and disposing of it correctly.
We are celebrating 50 years of Independence and soon we will be entrusting our future to a younger generation. Every effort must be made to work in our nursery and primary schools to root out all negative attitudes towards the protection of our environment.
I am urging all Barbadians and others who care about our country to take up the challenge of helping to change these attitudes, regardless of however modest the effort may be.
As a former teacher, I have always had great confidence in the ability of our young people to make the right choices, given their educational experiences. I am encouraging them to honour the Pledge of Allegiance and relate it to the protection of our environment since their lives and their future will depend on it.
– BEVERLEY GRIFFITH