Ramon Todd Dandare is a brave man.
He sat down for an interview with Tito Lacle, Noticia Cla, and told the truth.
We are not ready to introduce Papiamento as the official language of instruction in schools.
He said the teachers were not prepared enough. The minister of education is rushing the process, they must give it more time, which sounded like a reasonable explanation for his statement.
If the teachers are not sufficiently prepared, how can they make such radical changes in the educational system, in August of this year?
Apparently, they can.
Elections are coming, and this threat to education has been hanging over our heads for years.
Fact, not all teachers peak adequate Papiamento.
What is adequate Papiamento?
I found 52 Synonyms and Antonyms for rain in the English language dictionary, how many are there in Papiamento?
And we all know that intelligence depends on the ability to express our thoughts and feelings accurately, but without enough words to describe EXACTLY what we mean, down to the smallest nuance, communication remains on a very basic level.
Many resort to “Bo Sa,” you know, since they cannot explain themselves in precise wording, Bo Sa plugs in the hole.
Now the responsibility is on the listener to guess what was said.
If we had an “Academy of Papiamento” with 10 Ramon Todd Dandares working day and night on the development of the language and the revival of old forms of communication, and the formalization of structures, we could have a richer verbal menu.
Alas, Jossy Mansur, a pioneer in that field, is no longer with us.
Today, Papiamento is relegated to the street where it lives and mixes with Spanglish into an abbreviated hybrid, and the orthography is a mystery, as there is no conventional spelling system of the language.
We have been disappointed with the educational system in recent years, and it is now positioned to take a huge step backwards.
How will our kids pursue a higher education without ample verbal abilities??
Most kids today, have a good understanding of English, and with it they obtain the key to the world, to learning and self-development.
I am asking myself if Papiamento offers the same perks.
How will the program be introduced, in stages I hope, but will it make our people smarter? Sharper? Capable of expressing themselves brilliantly?
If you don’t like the opinion expressed, stay off my blog!
