The Barbados Community College (BCC) wants a few good young men, says Minister of Education Ronald Jones.
With just 35 per cent of its student roll being male, he said young men must become better educated lest their female counterparts look for relationships with older men.
In an hour-long speech at the BCC’s graduation ceremony at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on Saturday, Jones addressed the gender imbalance in tertiary institutions.
Following the revelation by BCC principal Cheryl Weekes that 1 289, or only 34.9 per cent of the 3 697 students were male, Jones sent a warning to the hundreds of young men currently out of school.
“There is space at the Community College for more men to get up, and when they drop the ladies off on morning, afternoons, on evenings on their bicycles, they too, will park their bicycles and go to class as well,” he said.
“Otherwise, sociologically, rather than young women looking across their age cohort, they look beyond their age cohort because the men of the ’70s and the ’60s are educated and you want your equal in conversation, in earning capacity.”
Jones said it was “a serious danger sociologically” when any society had such a large group of well-educated women with a small group of well-educated men behind them.
“There is nothing wrong with women educating themselves. There is something wrong with men not educating themselves,” he declared.
He however applauded the young men who were graduating.
Jones called on the BCC to create a learning space for young men who might not have the qualifications.
Weekes also spoke about the gender imbalance, noting that with the exception of computer studies and technology, all other divisions reported greater female enrolment.
However, she said they were working to correct that situation. (AD)
