IT’S GRADUATION TIME! A time which signals the beginning of students’ transition from primary to secondary school or secondary school to the world of work or tertiary education. In fact, it’s the time most secondary schoolchildren anticipate and to some, it signals the rite of passage to adulthood.
I had the privilege of attending a number of graduations recently at all levels of the educational system. I sat in amazement and at the same time adoration at the number of women bedecked in their finery, some looking as if they were in a fashion parade. However while admiring these women and, may I say, some of the graduands, something caught my attention – the vast majority of them wore weaves (hair extensions). There were jet black, dark brown and medium brown colours, and textures ranged from kinky and straight to wavy and curly.
After the ceremony I inquired about the cost of the “hair do” and in particular the weave. I was taken aback, for prices ranged from $20 to $800. One mother also informed me that she was raising funds to buy her $1000 weave.
Still in doubt that some mothers would spend up to $1 000 on hair, I asked my hair stylist who confirmed that some weaves do cost that much and directed me to do some research online for a particular brand name and indeed into some hair stores. My findings left me “cat spraddled” indeed, for women were spending exorbitant prices on this brand of hair. The price tag for this particular brad ranged from BDS$300 to $1 000.
I pondered, thinking that these women could not be experiencing economic hardship since they were spending so much on hair just to “look good”. It is evident that some of these mothers have their priorities in the wrong place, for some of them send their children to school without the necessary tools to help them perform their daily task efficiently and effectively. Some children do not have exercise books or require textbooks. They do not have a pencil that costs just 50 cents and furthermore, they do not pay the weekly $1.00 for school meals.
I will go further to say that some of these parents even enroll their children in the schools’ breakfast programme because they cannot afford to provide breakfast on mornings.
Parents, there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good and adorn yourself with fine things but it is important that you prioritize. Ensure that the basic needs of your children are met. In order for your children to acquire the skills and competencies at school to allow them to function in society, they must have the relevant tools to work with. Do not leave your children at the mercy of others – borrowing the necessary equipment to get through their schoolday while you dress up as weave queens.
• Rhonda A. Blackman is an educator, National Development Scholar and former president of the Early Childhood Association of Barbados Inc.; email theopenhaversack@gmail.com