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Reader Disagrees with Turnbull's Comments

Dear Source:
Mr. Turnbull, let me first say, that I hope that any family ties is not the reason for your comments about the state of Education in the Virgin Islands. I am a distant relative of the governor myself, but that does not excuse the fact that very little has been done the area of education under his watch. It is true that he may not be to blame for everything that has occurred over the last decade or more, but the fact also remains that having one high school win it's accreditation for the first time and middle schools working towards it is not in the least impressive. That in fact, is unacceptable, especially with the governor being a former Educator himself.
You talk about the involvement of the community, civic groups etc. as well as what it takes to educate children and adults, well, here's the thing, non of that stuff matters if the kids educational credentials carry no weight because they were not received from an accredited institution. When applying for work, applying for college, or anything of the like, where you state your education, if that education was not received at an accredited institution, it is virtually worthless. So in fact, the kids are the ones that will suffer for the rest of their lives as a result. They won't be able to compete for the best jobs, or go to the best schools or anything of the sort, and if the schools do admit the kids, they will most certainly have to take foundation studies courses designed for the less than average students. They will have prove themselves all over again before they can take course that will actually earn them credits towards their chosen field of study.
The very fact that there are any schools that are not accredited is unacceptable begin with. You should not try to defend the meager accomplishments, you should be asking how does the governor plan to assist or continue on improving education in the territory after leaving office, because, he had his chance while in office and he deserves a very poor grade (F) I would say for his accomplishments.
Furthermore, when you enter Public office, you open yourself up to criticism from the public, and that is something that all candidates need to be prepared for. If you don't like the criticism, then I think you have to choices, do what you said you do or get out of the Public office.
Governor Turnbull has had his opportunity, and he and his administration has done what they felt they needed to do in that time. It's now time for a change and for someone that has new and fresh ideas, with a proven record of accomplishments and success. Lets not forget, the he had the final call on most if not all the decisions that he signed off on, so the results lye squarely with him, as they will anyone else that holds that post. Don't be in denial, this administration's education record is poor, and that's a fact.
Courtney Jackson
Baton Rouge, La.

Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.

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