Blame It On Education!

Amidst all the doom and gloom-laced newspaper headlines foretelling the end of the world, isn't it "refreshing" to discover that there are some people who really don't worry about the current state of affairs? Take the story that broke at the end of last week of the 13 year old British boy who has become a father after having had sex with a 15 year old girl. When asked what he would do to support the baby financially he said "what does financially mean"? 

Come on, at least he's honest. It would surely not be too far fetched to suggest there are quite a few people out in the world today who are considerably older, apparently better educated - if length of time at it is any measure - and in receipt of huge dollops of money regularly (unlike our young father who "occasionally gets £10 pocket money" from his dad!), of whom it might be said were similarly confused by the meaning of the word "financially".

But it's the fatherhood rather than the financials I am considering here, in addition to wondering out loud whether there will be any legal action as a result of underage sex!

 Of course the "blame-game" has already started. This is clearly the fault of promoting sex education in schools, say some critics. If you didn't teach them about these things, the children wouldn't have an urge to go off and try it for themselves, they say. (Yeh, right!). Other "experts"  wade in and say that you must have sex education in schools. Presumably because they remember their own uneducated exploratory fumblings in the corner of a long forgotten school yard, which they tried to relate to some story their parents told them about birds and bees. The necessity for this type of education, they continue, is because parents no longer seem to take this responsibility on, preferring to leave it to the schools. 

And in relation to that last point, it seems that no criticism on this child's fatherhood has been levelled at the parents. So, whichever camp you are in with regard to sex education/no sex education in schools, the fundamental point must be the fact that parents are now failing in their own basic responsibilities towards their children. They are the ones who should be doing the educating, not leaving it to the schools and then blaming them when something goes wrong.

Don't blame it on education.

(As a brief aside, on sex education, if you are ever in Bangkok have a meal at "Cabbages and Condoms", you won't be sorry, for a number of good reasons). 

Now, while I am on the subject of education, and moving from Britain to Asia, it appears that Hong Kong is playing host to the daughter of one of the worlds most reviled "leaders". Bona Mugabe has apparently been studying under an assumed name at the University of Hong Kong since the autumn and I am partly - or perhaps I should say minutely - sympathetic to the views of the University spokesman who said we should put education above politics. There is now some doubt about exactly which establishment she has been at, or is intending to attend, but no smoke without fire! She must have been/be around here somewhere!!

Maybe by exposing Miss Mugabe to the feelings of the entire world about her father, she will experience some sort of remorse and work towards making a difference. But, sadly, I suspect not.

It is not Miss Mugabe who has snatched the headlines, however, but the reports of her mother allegedly assaulting a Sunday Times photographer in January, two journalists reportedly being threatened by guards in Hong Kong last week, and reports of a purchase by the Mugabes of a US$5.8m home in Hong Kong.

And in case you have forgotten, Zimbabwe is currently facing annual inflation of 231m%, and has just issued a $100 trillion banknote (worth US$33 - or it was at the time the note was issued!!).

So, back to education - which is where we came in. There have been calls for the Hong Kong Government to remove any approval for Bona Mugabe to study in Hong Kong. Why should we provide "cover" for a member of a corrupt family who have been banned from many other countries? We, wisely in my view, refused entry to the paedophile Gary Glitter, on the grounds of undesirability yet we seem willing so far to turn a blind eye in this case.

Likewise, shouldn't the Government be considering whether the Mugabe money (where did it come from - don't we have anti money laundering requirements here any more?) is in fact welcome? The people of Zimbabwe may find a better use for USD5.8m, and whereas they may not be allowed to raise questions, we can. I would suggest that the Government listen very carefully to the call by the people from around the world who may find our present "acceptance" of the situation to be - well - uneducated!

Comments

[hans olijve]

Last year i spend 10 months in the Sudan working for a NGO and unfortunately i have seen there the same as what Mugabe has done in Zimbabwe. Fortunately there the ICC is making an effort to indict the president for crimes against humanityin Darfur. If succeding this will the first time a sitting president will be facing a indictment. Not bad but they forgot our socalled friend of the people Mugabe. A shame for the world and in more particular the African leaders to have him still around. But who am I, just a layman, not a politician who always sees the bigger picture.

[Robert Chesney]

Addendum to my previous comment: in Dante's Hell,(I wonder if there is a Far Eastern equivalent to this interesting Renaissance concept),Mugabe would certainly be at a level well below Gary Glitter(- i.e. merit a much more severe punishment!) Will this happen? Probably not!
As your last blog suggested, trial by media give standards which have been more censorious of the more sensationally news worthy Glitter(- was there ever a more inappropriately named person!). Therefore, it seems, in the public eye, he is the greater pariah. Whereas surely Mugabe's crimes being on a level with the likes of probably Hitler & Stalin, not to say Milosevich & his ilk, merit much greater censure, & certainly action, here & now - long before extra terrestrial karma kicks in ?!!
Surely a significant comment on 21st century internationally media driven values!

[Robert Chesney]

Hear, Hear!! (A particularly well turned Blog, if I may say!) It really is time somebody POSITIVELY socked it to Mugabe! World 'leaders' & bodies, seem peculiarly averse to do so, inexplicably, in my view! This would be an excellent opportunity!

[Mark Brown]

Online Learning is that you don’t have to be at a particular place to pursue your learning. Whether you are in Singapore, Maldives, Mauritius or Himalayas, you can continue your learning as long as you have a computer and an internet connection. So, you no longer have to drop out of a romantic vacation in the Hawaii for the sake of education...