A senior university lecturer has suggested that the 4,000 secondary school drop outs be left alone to discover their true potential instead of being brought back into a failing education system.Dr Noel Kalicharan, a computer science lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine unleashed a stinging criticism of the education system during his feature address at a prize giving ceremony at Naparima College, San Fernando on Friday.
Describing it as a one-size fits all approach to education, he said the system was destroying the creativity of students. Alluding to the success of Gillian Lynne, an accomplished choreographer and Paul McCartney of The Beatles, he said: "These are just two examples of the many, many people who would have been considered failures by the school system, yet went on to become world leaders in their fields. We all know stories of people who became very successful without ever having had much formal schooling or who dropped out of school at an early age."He believed their success came about because they dropped out of school before the school system had a chance to strangle their creativity.
"Some months ago, I heard the Minister of Education mention that there were 4,000 students 'missing' from the school system, that we must find them and bring them back into the fold. Sure, we could try and find out what they are doing but I would suggest that, except in special cases like being involved in unsavoury activities, we let them be to pursue whatever they have figured out is best for them."Calling for the education system to be re-structured, he said: "The role of education should be to develop our natural abilities and enable us to make our way in the world. Instead, it is stifling the individual talents and abilities of too many students and killing their motivation to learn."