THE Education Mini-stry has set up an Independent Schools Unit to supervise and check on private teaching institutions. It is estimated by this unit that there are about 400 schools or individuals who offer teaching in all kinds of subjects including cosmetology and dressmaking. There are fortunately no courses offered for bleaching or for increasing the dimensions of the two Bs - Behind and Breasts.

I think that the setting up of this unit is a good idea in principle, but it seems to me more important that the Education Ministry should begin by checking on the primary schools within its jurisdiction.

Vast numbers of children leave primary school either totally or partially illiterate, and it seems to me that this is where careful evaluation is most necessary. It should also be observed that a number of these private schools exist because people are unable to get their children satisfactorily educated within the Government school system.

STREET PEOPLE

At the time of writing, it is still obscure who the people were who were responsible for the Montego Bay dumping operation. I have no doubt that by the time this column is printed we shall all know a good deal more. Solid information, if it ever emerges, will no doubt prove many of our speculations incorrect.

Nevertheless I hope I shall be pardoned for indulging in some guesses and speculations in the meantime.

To begin with, I get the strong impression that the Mayor of Montego Bay, Hugh Salomon, knows a good deal more about the whole thing than he's prepared at the moment to admit. Indeed, I have the suspicion that quite a few people in Montego Bay were part of the conspiracy, not only in the Parish Council, but in the tourist hotels. I have a feeling that some bright boy concerned with the tourist trade got the idea that it would be a good thing to banish the street people in one way or another, and that the idea caught on amongst quite a large number of otherwise quite sensible people.

They were probably greatly surprised by the public outcry which ensued. In any case, it's going to be quite a job finding out the names of all those responsible. One may be sure that a lot of people will start lying like troopers.

As I have observed in a previous column, one of the main feature of Jamaica is that nobody, either in the private or public sectors, is ever prepared to take the responsibility for any bad mistakes. It is part of our culture that, just as the humble servant-maid will account for the breaking of a dish by saying "please mam de dish just jump out a mi han", a top executive or Minister will account for some disaster by claiming that it was the consequence of some mysterious force over which he had no control.

NIGHT NOISES

I have had occasion to mention before the habit that this Government has of passing cosmetic legislation - laws that look good on the books but are simply not enforced - the night noises legislation is a good example. In my neck of the woods, for example, which is a residential area near to the Trafalgar Road, the pest of Pulse is one of the crosses we have to bear.

The pleasant Mr. Kingsley Cooper is nothing, if not polite. He writes nice letters to the residents and, to be fair to him, he does make an effort to minimise the nuisance. But he shouldn't have to apologize. Pulse should not be allowed to make a public nuisance of itself.

His latest letter, charming as usual, tells us that the recent trouble arose because he rented Pulse out for parties. He tells us that he's not going to do that again. Mr. Kingsley Cooper's latest letter tells us that last week Saturday night (August 7) was to be the last noisy event, known by the dreadful name of Superjam.

I hope this is so. It sounded like a large gathering of hooligans on some ghetto street corner, and it went on until 2 a.m.

HOT PEPPER

I read that Jamaica is to be encouraged to produce red pepper. Sometime ago, I heard that a considerable effort was to be made concerning the cultivation of Scotch Bonnet pepper. Red peppers are all very well if it's only capsicum you want, but the Scotch Bonnet pepper (also capsicum) has a unique flavour and aroma.

It has no equal. I hope, therefore, that we are not giving up the cultivation of Scotch Bonnet in order to produce the crude "hotness" of red pepper.