Dear Editor,

I remember how awesome it was at the time to hear and see both Jamaican political leaders — Michael Manley and Edward Seaga — take principled positions against the apartheid system in South Africa.

Apartheid (for the youngsters) was the separation of people via race/skin colour in South Africa, and Jamaica was one of the leading voices against this unjust system.

Seaga gave an outstanding speech at the 1987 Commonwealth Heads of Governments in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in which he highlighted the strong impact of economic sanctions against South Africa.

I was a teenager at the time, but I felt proud as Seaga was going directly against the arguments of renowned world leaders such as Margaret Thatcher.

Manley’s role was very significant, as well. When Nelson Mandela visited Jamaica he referred to Michael Manley as a brother and a fellow freedom fighter because of the great help he had provided to the cause.

With Jamaica’s great antecedents against injustice, I, along with other parents, am shocked at the planned ‘apartheid’ programme which is about to hit the Jamaican education system by January 2022. Under this modern-day discriminatory education system vaccinated children will experience face-to-face learning while the unvaccinated will remain online for classes.

Can the Ministry of Education enlighten us on this new approach to education? Is this a mandate from the ministry or are school boards on a frolic of their own?

We need an urgent explanation before the school term starts in January 2022.

This decision is not based on scientific data, which shows:

1) The survival rate for children who contract the novel coronavirus is 99.997 per cent. This is obviously not a deadly disease for teenagers and the Ministry of Education’s policy needs to reflect this.

2) There is little or no evidence that suggests children are superspreaders of the disease ( www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-15/what-we-know-about-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-children-quicktake). Earlier in 2021 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had indicated that in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission, and the World Health Organization has noted that schools are not likely to be main drivers of COVID-19.

3) There have been “rare” side effects amongst some teenagers who have been given the vaccine ( www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/06/17/1007447098/pfizer-covid-vaccine-teens-symptoms-myocarditis). These include mild chest and heart inflammation (myocarditis).

We want total transparency in this matter. Since science does not seem to be the driving factor behind this policy, what else is at play? Is the funding of any ministry’s projects or programmes being done by private companies that are influencing policy direction in terms of COVID-19 vaccination? The same question should be answered by school boards and principals.

It has long been realised that one of the ways to reduce poverty and crime in any nation is through a strong and vibrant education system. It would be very sad to return to the pre-Common Entrance, -Grade Six Achievement Test, -Primary Exit Profile days when one’s access to education in Jamaica was based on class and colour.

We ask that Minister of Education Faval Williams provide the requisite guidance on this issue.

Marsha Thomas

marshburns@hotmail.com