Welfare system in need of reform | Barbados Advocate – Barbados Advocate

THE countrys welfare system needs to be reformed and now may be the time to give it the attention it deserves.

Member of Parliament for St. James North, Edmund Hinkson, raised the matter as the Estimates Debates continued on Wednesday. Hinkson stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the reformation and transformation of our economy and society and hence, he spoke of a few areas in need of change.

While thanking Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, for the work she has been doing to assist those in need, even this year, coming to the assistance of fire victims in his very own constituency, Hinkson however said that the Welfare system, which falls under her Ministry, needs some tweaks.

Our Welfare system, and again the time is now, needs to be reformed. I know that there is a Committee of Cabinet looking into that. I believe it is headed by the Honourable Member for St. Michael South Central, (Marsha Caddle), but we cant continue with a situation where there is so large intergenerational welfarism, where someones grandmother has been on welfare, the parents and now them. This will require of course a whole of government, a whole of society approach to the issue, but it has to be tackled, Hinkson

remarked.

We have to move away from our peoples dependence on welfare. I believe, Sir, that the department should carry a new name to start with, a new reformation, maybe the Human Development Department or the Social Development Department would help, but the reality is that our educational system and many ministries have to be involved in this approach as well, he further stated.

To this end, Hinkson also called for curriculum reform in the education sector to assist in this effort.

Our Ministry of Education is again led by an extremely able Member of Parliament for St. Michael South East (Santia Bradshaw), who brings to her ministerial task passion and commitment to effect change, but the time is now to effect this change. We need of course curriculum reform. We havent had that for 20 years now. That is paramount. We cannot continue under the system that we now have, which of course was founded still on a colonial system, he commented.

Acknowledging that every child will not be academically inclined, but that every child has worth and skills, Hinkson voiced his support for the abolition of the Common Entrance Exam, which his government has spoken to. He also noted the need to create greater opportunities for young people to be engaged and for those who are not so academically inclined, to have greater access to technical and vocational opportunities to develop their skills, so as to ensure that the reform needed in the welfare system can take place. (RSM)

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Welfare system in need of reform | Barbados Advocate - Barbados Advocate