Cyprian Fernandes: A peep into the future in those pioneering days

Grystal Gazing

by Teresa Claudia Barreto

Crystal Gazing, or looking into the future is a fast fading occupation but nevertheless an interesting one.  Would you like to know what the future holds in store for us?  Well to be quite truthful the forecast is very bleak with very little stability for youth.  The present mundane pattern followed by the majority of the younger set is one of the major causes of this outlook. The future calls for greater initiative and a variety of occupations. Why is it that nearly every girl or boy after leaving school immediately tags on to some office or Government department?  Is it because it is convenient to do so or is it due to a lack of talent or ambition?  Or does the fault lie further afield?

Kenya is essentially a multi-racial colony and within a few years' time Europeans, Africans, Indians and Goans will be competing on equal grounds in all walks of life.  Where will that leave our youth?  For at the moment we can compete with them only in the social line....will this ability save us from peril?

How are we preparing our youth for the future?  Let us review our educational system....is it ideal....does it equip youth for all eventuality in the future, does it train them to be self-supporting citizens or does it only cater for the old-fashioned "three R's"?

The scope for technical workers is tremendous in this practically new Colony....the crystal shows a vast number of industries coming up in the future. By whom will they be staffed?  Well between you, me, and the lamp-post they will be staffed by those who have been trained for the jobs.

The Crystal also shows a lot of girls twiddling their thumbs....Why?  Because they have not had any specific training for any occupation or trade, and cheaper labour has usurped their clerical positions.

Get a move on, you girls and boys, make hay while the sun shines, and get into some specific line, trade or occupation that is the only way to defy Dame Fortune.  Well what are you going to do about it?  Or is there going to be a rush for ship "stabilizers" ....well you can never tell, the future is so unpredictable, isn't it?