“Education is a Must”
These factsheets are a summary of some of the gains of the Revo’ and are designed to inform current and future generations of its successes. Please download, read and circulate. If you have any comments please contact the author, Steve Cushion, info@grenada-forwardever.net.
Revo’ Factsheet on Education
On March 13, 1979 the New Jewel Movement (NJM) seized power from the the corrupt and brutal Eric Gairy, Prime Minister of Grenada. The Grenadian people
had, through the NJM, made it clear that education was a priority. Following the Revo’ the newly created Peoples Revolutionary Government, led by the NJM, appointed Jacqueline Creft as the Minister of Education to bring about these momentous changes. Over the 4½ years of theRevo’ the campaign for a proper education led to the successes outlined in the Factsheet.
Economic growth contributed to significant changes in education policy. It made possible a significant increase in spending on education as well as creating a demand for workers with higher skill levels. It was quickly clear that without improvements in education, economic progress would be retarded…continues
Revo’ Factsheet on Women in the Revolution
Women’s participation was vital for the overthrow of the dictatorial regime ofEric Gairy. The St Georges Progressive Women’s Association (PWA), set up in 1977, was very active prior to 1979, campaigning for better wages, employment for women, better housing, medical facilities and democratic rights and, of course, opposing the “jobs for sex”that was a part of the endemic corruption under Gairy.
The PWA had its first post Revolution meeting in June 1979 but it was realised that a different form of organisation was needed to construct the new society from that required to overthrow a dictatorship. It is one thing to outlaw the demands by employers and civil servants for “sexual
favours” in return for employment, but the problem could only really resolved when the 70 per cent unemployment rate that women suffered under the old regime was massively reduced by developing the economy. Grenadian women could only achieve real equality as part of the overall development process that the Revolution aspired to build.
The PWA gave way to the National Women’s Organisation (NWO), which held its founding general meeting in December 1980 although it already had 1,500 members in 47 groups. ByDecember 1982, at the NWO Congress, it had 6,500 members, 22 per cent of the female adult population of 30,000. The NWO was at pains to stress that it was open to all women. It saw its role as a mixture of encouraging popular participation, promoting government programme sand holding government departments to account…continues
More Factsheets on the Grenada Revolution will be regularly published. Watch this space.
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