Caribbean expert challenges leaders to pay more attention to children's issues

A senior social policy expert believes Caribbean region should review its education system to better cater to the needs of the region’s children.

Dr. James Fletcher, Director of Social Development in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), made the statement Thursday UNICEF’s Mid-Term Review Meeting in St Kitts.

He said while Caribbean officials continue to boast that children are generally engaged at the primary and secondary levels in terms of education, there are concerns about the high incidence of dropouts and increasing repetition.

"We are seeing a disconnect between children and teaching in some instances, so I think a rethink of the education system from early childhood all the way up to tertiary is in order,” Fletcher told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

He suggested a review of not exams but also support services.

Dr Fletcher also spoke about the health of the region’s children, noting that there has been an increase in childhood obesity and other ailments such as diabetes.

He said part of the problem is that for too long the region has neglected the issues relating to young people in the formation of social policies for the youth.

He challenged policymakers and the people working with children to start viewing the agenda for children through a different lens.

“I think we are using old ways and old methods of looking at the problem, that we are not coming to coming to grips with,” he said.

He said now is the time to understand that tings have changed and that children are leaders of today in their own right.

“I am pro-children, but I am also support the development of a Caribbean society, and I think if we are saying that the children are an important part of our society then we have to create the necessary infrastructure for them to operate,” he said.

“We can’t pretend that child sexual abuse is not a major problem. We can’t pretend that this global economic crisis which we feel in the Caribbean is not having an impact on young people.

“We can’t also continue to pretend that the people who are parenting those children have the proper parenting skills, so it’s a wide issue. I think that we have to invest more in children and young people in our region,” Fletcher said