Dear Editor,
Professor Kumar Mahabir from Trinidad appeared before the Caribbean Examination Council in 2017, and supported with extensive research his position that Indian History, heritage and culture were underrepresented or excluded from the CXC, CXEC and CAPE history and other syllabi.
COVID and the Internet have resulted in this issue being discussed throughout the globe by many organisations, including the Indian Diaspora Council International and Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre regular zoom public meetings each Sunday at 3.00pm.
Dr Vishnu Bisram has also recently revisited this issue (<<Guyana Times>> May 11, 2011) and concurred that the CXC Syllabus and Curriculum discriminated against Indians and Portuguese.
Prior to independence in many Caribbean countries, the history of England that had colonised us was taught at the GCE level. However, since the 1960s, when most of the nations attained independence, while there were some adjustments to incorporate the African pre- slavery experience and afterwards, that of the indentured servants who had been brought from Bharat (India) subsequent to the abolition of slavery was almost completely blanked.
More significant for our Caribbean region, by 1917, about 239,000 reached the shores of Guyana, the most in the Western Hemisphere; and another 290,000 reached to Suriname and other WI islands.
Surely the best place to teach their descendants and make them proud of their history and culture would be in the classroom. But this is yet to happen. Even after the Caribbean Examination Council was set up in 1972, the process still resulted in the present situation described by the researchers above.
While nations like Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad have significant populations who can trace their ancestry to India, and must have representatives on the board, one has to question what the process of appointment is, and what qualifies one to be an expert. Unlike in the last century, this one is overflowing with Professors, research materials, and book writers specialising in Indo-Caribbean History, some of whom have retired, and may even volunteer their expertise to effect necessary changes.
Education is certainly one way of changing an individual, and also the society in which they live – a fact recognised by all progressive governments.
Issues facing this region may vary slightly from country to country, but they generally include political violence, racism, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of respect for the rule of law, religious conversion, suicides mostly among youths, corruption.
Recent communication from CXC advised that the history examination syllabuses are being reviewed for CSEC and CAPE, and that body has invited submissions by stakeholders on or before August 30 to be considered by the panel of experts.
Comments and suggestions regarding syllabus and curriculum development can be sent to [email protected] for the Barbados office, and [email protected] for the Jamaica office.
Hope the immediate stakeholders, teachers, parents, students take advantage of this opportunity to make their views known, and keep themselves updated on the changes.
Sincerely,
Ramnarine Sahadeo
B.A. LLB
