Azille Proposes – By Deslyn A Joseph
Azille Proposes Radical Reframing
The United Progressive Party’s (UPP’s) candidate for St. John’s Rural East believes that education must be the single most empowering element for Antiguans and Barbudans.
During Sunday’s night town hall meeting, Ashworth Azille challenged the community to reflect on whether the education system has progressed over the last 30 years. While acknowledging that there has been growth in the sector, he argued that the nation has yet to reach an optimal level of development because the current system is still too heavily rooted in a European context.
Azille is advocating for a system where education is free from the kindergarten level through to tertiary studies, but he insists that this education must be reframed to give learners a clear sense of identity. He maintains that no secondary school student should be allowed to graduate without knowing Antiguan history. By focusing on European or American history at the expense of their own, he warns that the nation is setting up its youth to repeat past mistakes and face further alienation. He believes that by teaching students about heroes who resemble them and share their lived experiences, the country can foster a generation that takes true ownership of its future.
Beyond history, Azille emphasized the importance of civics and civic pride. He noted that the decay of St. John’s city is a reflection of a lack of responsibility and pride that should be instilled through the school system. He criticized the current approach to national planning, describing it as throwing darts in the dark. Azille pointed out that the government lacks the practical data to know how many nurses, psychiatrists, or artisans are actually needed to meet national goals. He argued that instead of a top-down approach, national development must be a bottom-up process that incorporates the views of ordinary people through broad stakeholder consultation.
To achieve this, Azille and the UPP propose a bold move to utilize existing infrastructure more effectively. He expressed frustration that fully stocked technical and vocational labs in secondary schools sit empty after 3:30pm. He envisions a system where these schools remain open in the evenings to allow community members, including working parents and those who missed earlier opportunities, to learn and certify in trade skills. By providing access to these resources for skills training and certification, Azille believes the nation can empower its people to be self-sufficient and competitive within the Caribbean region, moving beyond just preparing for examinations to preparing for life and nation-building.
Meanwhile, Daryl Josiah, Head of the Social Science Department at the Antigua Grammar School, has thrown his professional support behind the call for mandatory local history. As a social scientist and history teacher with nearly 25 years’ experience, Josiah explained that the current regional curriculum often lacks the specific depth required to foster a strong sense of Antiguan identity and consciousness. He noted that while students are often excited about history early on, a dedicated focus on local history in the first three years of secondary school would provide the necessary platform to build national pride before transitioning to the wider Caribbean syllabus.
Josiah revealed that a new textbook specifically dedicated to Antiguan history is currently in development, with contributions from various local educators, and is expected to be available by September.
He believes this move will “concretize” the efforts of those practicing oral history and interviewing the elderly, effectively bringing the Antiguan experience into sharper focus for the next generation.
