A product of the Education Revolution — and the lessons it taught me

I am a product of what many proudly call the “educational revolution”.

Am I thankful? Yes. But gratitude does not erase reality and today I want to share mine.

My opportunity came in the form of a government-backed loan. But the truth is, it was my father who paid the interest while I was away pursuing my degree. So yes! Thank you to the government and to my dad.

When I returned home, I took my bond seriously. I believed in contributing to the human resource pool of my country. Not returning was never an option. I applied for work in the public sector. I hoped to teach. But despite applying multiple times, no door opened.

Still, I pressed on.

I found employment in the private sector, worked hard, stayed ambitious, and remained committed to paying my student loan. When I became pregnant, my employer at the time viewed it as a burden instead of a natural part of life. What followed was difficult — and I eventually found myself redundant (jobless), with a baby in my arms and a student loan still due every month.

But I continued paying with the money I received as a result of my redundancy. Why? Accountability matters to me!

At my second job, I again applied to teach — still no response. I wanted stability. I wanted to provide for my son. After all, “mother and father may have, but blessed is the child who has his own”.

Eventually, I found myself working within a statutory body. It was there that I first witnessed what I can honestly describe as “square pegs in round holes”. Leadership that felt threatened rather than inspired. Skills misaligned with roles. Decisions made not on merit, but on approval, appearance, and proximity to power.

Even while struggling financially, I kept paying that loan. At one point, I had only $3,000 left to clear, but not even $3,000 in my bank account. I consolidated it into my mortgage because I was determined to build a home for my child and myself.

Ambition — again — was my driver.

I also noticed something that stayed with me: while some of us paid faithfully, others who benefited from the same educational opportunities did not. They lived freely, while those of us taking responsibility were strapped under the weight of the system.

Sometimes I wonder: maybe I should have borrowed more too — enough for school and a home — because life seems designed so that we spend half of it repaying institutions until we retire, assuming we don’t meet our end before then.

But! The real turning point came when I realised I was no longer growing — emotionally, professionally, financially — in the environment I was in. I refused to beg any politician for favours. I refused to compromise my integrity. I refused to believe that advancement should come through connections instead of qualifications.

So, I made the hardest decision of my life:

I left SVG

I left the workforce I once hoped to strengthen.

I left opportunities I applied for and never received.

I left a system whose direction no longer aligned with my ideals.

Ironically, I left my own country to teach; a profession I longed to do back home.

Today, I teach in another nation’s classroom, shaping another nation’s children, while the classrooms of my birth country remain untouched by my hands.

This is not an article to tell anyone how to vote.

This is not an article to tell anyone who to support.

This is an article to remind us:

Loyalty does not mean silence.

And gratitude does not mean blindness.

We are capable of rational thought.

We have the right to question.

We have the right to grow.

We have the right to choose.

As Thomas Jefferson said:

“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny;

When the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

I once feared speaking out because of my job.

I no longer live with that fear.

Today, I write to encourage reflection — not rebellion; awareness — not allegiance.

There are times when our silence protects us.

And there are times when our silence does the opposite.

Whatever you choose, vote.

Because your vote is your power.

A Product of the Educational Revolution

The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].