It Has Been By Design
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Posted By: Ivan Butcher II on April 13, 2018 The fact that we here in the Virgin Islands, during this recovery period, are faced with having to wait for the Outside to rebuild our homes and our infrastructure has been by design. The reason that there is a shortage of licensed tradesmen: carpenters, masons, electricians, plumbers, painters, roofers, welders, heavy equipment operators, tilers arborist, etc., here in the Territory is because of the Outside. As a vocational teacher, I have always taken issue with the major subject areas using bake sales for a funding raising activity. To me, these educators should have been demonstrating the economic value that each of their subject areas: math, science, history, geography, social studies and the language arts, affords their students out-side of the classroom. But, what I and other vocational teachers faced when trying to fund raise by marketing our goods and services to the public; we were met with complaints placed at the office of the Superintendent of the VI Dept. of Education, that we were functioning without business licenses, taking sales away from licensed tax paying businesses. Today's educational system is inappropriate and underfunded, the hundreds graduated every year and the too many dropouts are sent out into our communities with just a certificate / diploma seeking jobs, with the others barely able to fill out an application for the jobs that didn't exist in Territory. It puts a lot of them in a survival mode, quoting Malcolm X, "By any means necessary," the youth refer to their crimes committed in the community as, "Street Tax." Most of the petty and the felony crimes that are committed in our society can be prevented. Even school children criticize the authorities, when they make a cliche of the proverbs, "It takes a village to raise a child, and The children are our future!" To send our children out into society without a viable trade or a marketable skill, we are breeding generations of beggars, criminals, thieves, welfare recipients or they leave. No child should leave school without a trade. Those college students with a trade could easily supplement their education without going into deep student loan debt. Just imagine, if we were graduating trained, licensed, artisan and tradesmen every year, who from the Outside would be able to come here and monopolize businesses. Ivan Butcher II St. Croix US Virgin Islands If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Ivan Butcher II
Business Proprietor, The Butcher Shop of the Virgin Islands Member Since February 2008 |
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